Fire
by Michelle P
Summary: A small town university is the site for a series of mysterious fires that leave everyone involved, puzzled. When Sam and Dean start investigating, things go from bad to worse, endangering the lives of the two brothers...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with Supernatural or the characters. The writing of this story is purely for my own enjoyment and any characters that you don't recognize likely came from my imagination.

**A/N: A huge thank you to those of you who helped me to decide which story to post next. I'm excited about this next one the one that will follow it. I hope you enjoy!**

**This story is actually based semi on a couple of stories that float about my university campus throughout the school year, particularly close to Halloween and orientation week for the freshmen in September. The town and building names have been changed for privacy sake, but the root tales are based in reality. The turns that the story takes aren't necessarily realistically based, but some statements are taken from reports of students, staff and news articles that I have either heard in passing or read myself (news articles in the university papers archived in the campus library). Enjoy!**

**Summary**: A small town university campus is the site for a series of mysterious fires and occurrences leaving both students and staff puzzled.

**FIRE**

A staggering stream of smoke hung listlessly in the darkened sky above Harden house, while the sharp scent of fire slithered mercilessly through the sleeping town of Garren. A lone vehicle that was passing Harden after a lengthy day trip into the nearest city, an hour and a half away, saw the smoke and an urgent cell call was put through to the town fire department.

Moments later, blaring sirens pierced the silent night and the red lights of fire rescue vehicles scattered across the fronts of houses setting next to the road. Slowly the town awoke, the alarms pulling the residents from sleep and drawing them to the nearest window in an attempt to discover what was taking place. The vehicles pulled up outside of Harden house and saw the smoke lingering in the air.

No students currently living in the Harden residence had left the building and so the members of the fire brigade hurried into the silent house to clear out those inside. Short seconds later, a member of the rescue team remaining outside, pointed to a third story window where a young man stood with a look of sheer panic on his face. The people watching from the street saw the man yank the window open and leap out. The falling figure fell to the pavement, landing without a sound and when people rushed to help, they were startled to find the jumper was nowhere to be seen.

The townsfolk watched the fire teams usher close to fifty sleepy-eyed or just plain confused students through the building's main entrance and the firefighters pulled their protective masks off with looks of complete confusion shadowing their faces. The inside of the building was completely unscathed by flames, there was no fire devouring the hallways of Harden and the smoke polluting the sky, silently ghosted away into nothing, leaving the night as calm as before the call had been put through to the fire department.

"There's no fire, chief." A woman replied, running a hand over the dark ponytail that peeked out from beneath her helmet. She pulled the fire mask off of her face and blue eyes turned back to the third story window that had caused so much chaos only moments before.

The glass pane was dark and there was no sign of anyone in the room, yet the window was still fully opened to let the crisp night air sift quietly past the ledge. As the woman watched, a white hand reached slowly out of the darkness and pulled the window down without a sound.

* * *

"It sure _sounds_ like our type of gig." Dean replied from behind the wheel of the Impala.

He'd been listening to Sam recap a recent news article about a mysterious fire at a small town university and all evidence pointed to elements of the supernatural.

"This isn't the first time that it's happened. I looked into it and saw that the fire department gets at least three of these calls to seemingly non-existent fires every _month._ Each incident plays out in a similar way with only minor tweaks here and there. Sometimes witnesses will see a student jump from a third story window, only to have the man disappear, and other times, they'll see two figures seemingly on fire in two rooms, one on the second floor and one on the third. There have even been reports of screaming coming from the upper windows of the building and two years ago one student actually _did_ jump from the same third story window the witnesses see the young man leap from. The student hit headfirst into the pavement and died instantly from a snapped neck. Police marked the death up as suicide." Sam replied as his eyes scanned the screen of the laptop.

"What else have you got?" Dean asked, as he took the turnoff to Garren.

"Some students have reported locking their doors at night, only to find them unlocked in the morning. The lights will flicker and radios or televisions will turn on and off. Students have come back after a long weekend at home to find their doors completely opened and every electronic in the room turned on. Sounds have been heard in the bathrooms and hallways late at night, and some students have claimed that they heard the sound of a coin dropping just outside their door. When they got up to investigate, there was no sign of anything that could have made a similar sound."

"So, a haunting then?" Dean questioned.

"It sounds like it." Sam responded, his eyes still searching the screen.

"Any clue as to who the ghosts might be?" Dean wondered.

"Yeah, actually. A little less than thirty years ago, Harden residence burned to the ground and three students were killed in the fire. Some of the other kids in the house thought that the fire drill was just that, a drill and they decided to play a couple of jokes on some students. They stuffed pennies in the doors to keep them from opening and two students burned to death because they couldn't get out."

"What about the third?"

"A nineteen year old named Isaac Paget. His door had also been locked with a penny and he panicked when he couldn't get out. He opened the third story window and jumped, died instantly from a snapped neck. Students who have been given the room for the year have reported feeling a sense of terror upon stepping inside and they always felt like they were being watched. Most of them requested an immediate change of room or residence because they didn't feel comfortable."

"What about those who didn't switch out?"

"One student claimed to have seen the ghost of Isaac Paget when he was working on a paper late one night. The ghost's neck was bent at an impossible angle and he was just staring at him with a look of sheer panic on his face. The student fled the room and stayed with the house Dons for the rest of the week until a new room could be assigned to him. Also, like I said, another student jumped from the window and died upon hitting the pavement. Other students have stayed in the room, but never for the full year, they'd always switch rooms or residences and in some cases, even universities."

"All men?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, Harden is primarily an all males residence. There are only about twenty female students living there and their rooms are in the basement. No paranormal activity has ever been reported from down there."

Silence fell over the Impala and Dean turned into the town of Garren. The university could just be seen past the trees and next to the marsh. The road was comfortably paved and very few bumps slid under the tires of the car. Beyond the senior citizen residence, a green iron-gate stood, claiming to be an entrance to a waterfowl park. Dean tried to see down the dirt trail, but was unable to do so because of the sharp right turn that it took. He pulled his car into a large parking lot behind the maintenance building of Mount Kale University and got out. The mid-autumn air struck him in the face, bringing with it the musty smell of the marshlands and the taste of salt on his tongue. He cast his eyes beyond the lot and up a set of cement stairs where four buildings stood in a circle. He smiled at his brother and led the way up, only to find a large group of students along the edges of the path that stretched around the entire area.

Seven students were lined up in front of one of the buildings, nearly hidden amidst a larger group of students swarming around them with paper cups and bottles of soda. Dean regarded the swarm with amused interest, wondering just what exactly they were up to. He shoved his way in between a dark blonde and a brunette and looked around at the other students.

"What's going on here?" Dean questioned.

"The root beer mile." The blonde replied with an amused glint in her eye. A smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth as Dean regarded her with confusion.

"The root beer what?" He asked.

"The root beer _mile_. You see those seven people lined up in front of Wayland hall?" the girl pointed to the area of the swarm.

"Yeah, what are they doing?"

"It's a house challenge, but as you can see, not many people were brave enough to give it a try. The competitors chug a glass of root beer and run around the quad and each time they cross the finish line they have to chug another glass down. They run around seven times and whoever completes the seven laps first is the winner." The blonde stated casually.

"Sounds messy." Dean mused, thinking about the way the event would play out.

"It can be. Last year, I think only one guy crossed the line without giving up." The brunette stated with a smile.

"So this it what you college types do for fun?"

"Sure, why not?" The brunette smiled.

Dean turned an amused glance to where Sam stood with his hands in the air as if to firmly illustrate the fact that he had never watched _or_ taken part in such an event.

"And you guys _like_ watching this?" Sam asked curiously. They hadn't done this particular activity at Stanford when he was there.

"Sure, it's great fun." The blonde replied.

"There's only one girl doing it?" Dean asked, observing the start line.

"Yeah, that's Gill, she lives on my floor. She's got guts to do this. I know that I certainly wouldn't." The brunette girl said.

"Why not?"

"I want to keep my dignity _in_ tact. Watch and see what I mean."

A young, dark haired man with a mega-phone held the contraption to his lips and yelled into it.

"Okay runners, you ready?" He didn't wait for a reply and drew a deep breath.

"On your marks, get set, go!" The young man screamed and Dean's ears reverberated with the volume of the voice.

Three laps into the 'race,' four people had already stumbled off the track

"This is the weirdest idea of fun _I've_ ever seen." Dean stated.

"Tell me about it." Sam replied.

The race drew to a close and it was a head to head run between the two remaining men in the race. Gill had gotten off the field shortly after lap five and now a redhead was sitting next to her on one of the benches between Wayland hall and the dining building.

"Ryan takes the race!" The dark haired man yelled into the device he held in his hand. "Second place is Ian's."

Both young men who had finished the race immediately doubled over to catch their breath and calm their stomachs while the dark haired man watched with an amused smile playing on his features. From there, water hoses were pulled from the grass to wash down the cemented walkway while the spectators slowly made their way back to Wayland hall with laughter and smiles lighting their features.

Dean shook his head in disbelief.

"Wow." He replied as the setting sun shadowed his face.

**A/N: Well, there's the first chapter. Just so you know, the root beer mile WAS an actual event that the presidents of my house devised as one of their 'genius' activities. Until next time, leave me some notes and by all means, if you have constructive criticism, PLEASE toss it at me. Also, if you have questions, let me have them and I'll do my best to answer.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

As the Thursday night fell gracefully across the campus, the Winchesters came to a stop on the sidewalk next to Harden hall. There were lights on in nearly every room and through some windows the screen of a television set could be seen dancing across their line of vision. A large group of students were just making their way up the door-yard that led to the hall and one of the men pulled a key from his pocket to open the front entrance.

Dean smiled at the good timing and ran toward them.

"Hey, hold the door!" He yelled.

The last man to enter looked back and with a smile, did as he was asked.

"Thanks, man. I forgot my key in my room, I really gotta stop doing that." Dean replied, holding the door for his younger brother.

He followed the group up the three stairs that led to the main lobby and stopped as the man who had let them inside turned back to him.

"Hey, don't worry about it, I've done it before, too. I was just lucky that my roommate had stayed behind. I didn't get locked out of my room." The student said with a look of amused recollection on his features.

"Lucky break." Dean stated with a lopsided grin.

"I guess. Well, g'night!" The man said with a wave.

"Night." Dean returned.

He watched the group of men as one pulled open the door separating the student rooms from lobby and lead the way past the threshold. Short seconds later, the door shut, leaving the brothers alone in the main entrance.

The lobby itself was fairly large. To the left was the entry to the rooms, and just up the wall from that was a stairway leading down into the basement. Dean scanned the room with his eyes and saw two large, wooden, double doors that were shut tightly against the back wall and another stairwell against the right wall. Shortly beyond that stairwell was a window looking out into the side yard and onto the next residence over. He continued to gaze around when an iron coloured plaque caught his eyes. The plaque was on the wall next to the double doors and surrounded by a brick frame. He walked slowly across the floor, his footsteps echoing in the empty room, and concentrated on it.

" ' The new Harden house was completed in July of 1984, after suffering complete destruction in the fire of 1978. This building is dedicated to three students who lost their lives on that night of October 21st: Ryan Greene, Isaac Paget, and Lyle White, may they rest in peace._' _" Dean read aloud.

"It's tragic, isn't it?" Came a female's voice from behind the brothers.

They turned to see a short girl with brown hair and green eyes, watching them with a friendly smile.

"Yeah, it is." Sam responded.

"You new?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah. We got late acceptance and were just looking into what residence we want to be assigned to." Sam replied.

"So you're frosh, eh?" She asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, we are." Sam replied, recognizing the lingo from his first year at Stanford.

"Well, rumour has it that Harden's got the hottest residents. You two would fit nicely with the H clan." The girl replied simply, eyeing the boys with approval.

"If that's the case, then I can definitely see why _you're_ here." Dean said with a smile as his eyes traveled contentedly over the girl's body.

Sam slammed his heel down on the top of Dean's foot and the older brother's face momentarily registered pain. The girl's expression changed to one of slight confusion, but with a tight smile from Dean, it returned back to the seductive smirk she had been wearing previously.

"We've also taken the title of most spirited house on campus for three consecutive years. Spirit night's Monday night. If you guys enter Harden, you should definitely come with us. This year's theme is Mount K gets wrapped." The girl replied.

"Sounds kinky." Dean smirked.

"Uh huh. There is talk of bath towels being used for costuming." The girl licked her lips, playfully and then started toward the stairs leading to the basement.

"Well then, we'll be sure to tag along." Dean smiled.

"Hey, before we make our final decision, we've heard that this residence is supposed to be haunted." Sam said, stopping her from getting too far.

"Oh yeah, that old legend that's been going around since this place was completed in 1984. Nobody knows if it's true or not, but I will tell you this much: Sometimes strange things _do_ happen around here." She said.

"What kind of strange things?" Sam asked.

"Footsteps, random noises, flickering lights, the _false_ alarms that have been called into the fire department. Hell, some of the guys on the upper levels have even claimed that they _saw_ a ghost in the halls. They were probably drunk at the time, but they swear up and down that they saw _something_."

"Do you believe the stories?"

"I dunno yet. This is my second year here and I am yet to experience the ghosts of Harden hall." The girl smirked simply.

"Is there anyone around here who's actually _met_ the creepshows?" Dean questioned casually.

"Oh yeah, just take a trip up to the second floor and knock on _any_ of the doors. I guarantee that over half the guys you talk to will claim to believe in the spirits."

"That many, huh?" Dean mused.

"You better believe it, hun." The girl said.

Dean broke out one of his prize-winning smiles to flatter the flirting girl.

"Thanks." Sam quickly cut off the conversation.

"You're welcome, and you two should _definitely_ sign on with Harden, promise me you'll think about it?" The girl questioned sweetly.

"Oh, we will." Dean said with a look of satisfaction glowing in his eyes.

"Have a good night, and if any of the guys on the upper floors give you hell for interrupting their nighttime TV date, just tell 'em that Dana sent you. They'll be nice, I promise." She said and with a final smile back at Dean, she disappeared down the stairs.

Dean turned almost immediately to Sam.

"What the hell did you do _that_ for, Sam?" Dean asked.

"Do what, Dean?" Sam questioned innocently.

"The foot thing, my toes are _still_ numb." Dean shot back.

Sam only smiled.

"Man, you were totally drooling over that girl."

"With good reason, did you see her? Cause if you didn't see what I saw then you'd best be making an appointment with the eye doctor, cause I think you're blind." Dean replied.

"Whatever, man." Sam replied, trying to hide a smirk.

"Did you _see_ the way she looked at me, Sammy? Dude, she was _so_ into me." The older brother said smartly and his eyes drifted to the stairwell.

A quick cuff to the back of the head caused Dean to look sharply at Sam with a glare that could shatter glass.

"Ow! What was _that_ for?" The eldest asked quickly.

"You were drooling again. I thought I'd slap you back to reality." Sam smiled.

"Keep your geek boy hands _off_ the merchandise. I don't want you infecting me with your book pushin' poison." Dean teased.

"Shut up, man." Sam returned with a grin.

"No way! Big brother always gets the last word, and I say, let's blow this joint and grab a room for the night, but we are _so _coming back here in the morning. And I wanna check out that bath towel thing too." Dean said smoothly with a final look to the stairwell.

He expertly ducked another half-hearted swipe from Sam and bolted for the front door, grinning.

"Jerk." Sam teased.

"I heard that!" Dean shouted back.

"I wanted you to!" Sam responded and followed his brother out the door.

"C'mon bitch, let's go get a room." Dean smiled when Sam reached his side.

Sam began to open his mouth, but Dean held up a hand to shush him.

"Oh no, don't even _think_ about crashing my last word bash, college boy!"

With a final glint of amusement ghosting in his eyes, he started back across campus to the parking lot where the Impala sat waiting for him and hid his triumphant face from Sam's smiling eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The motel room was almost threateningly silent as Sam lay awake listening to his big brother's steady breathing. The stark white of the ceiling watched him blankly from up above while the whistle of a train cried out somewhere in the distance. He let his eyes drift to the window that looked out into the parking lot. The ledge was salted for protection and the thin veil of a curtain whispered gently in the soft breeze sighing through the open window.

Sam tossed his sheets back and felt just how chilly the room was from the autumn wind playing with the curtain. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and got up to make his way slowly to where the curtain fluttered. He pulled it back and shut the window, then he made sure that the wind hadn't blown too much of the protective salt barrier away. He was pleased to see that it hadn't and stood in front of the window looking outside.

The parking lot was dark, save for the foggy lights drifting from the nearest streetlights. The motel they'd decided on was about a five-minute drive away from the university and it was nestled safely in a thick grove of trees that refused to let any light flood in. The train whistle blew again and Sam listened to the wind laugh its way around the motel corners and dance lightly over the tops of parked cars. He stifled a yawn.

He pulled the curtain back across the window and walked quietly to the bathroom before heading back to bed and crawling safely beneath the covers. He sighed at the silence and closed his eyes, allowing it to pull him away from the waking world and loll him gently into sleep. He shifted to his back and yawned again before slipping completely under the graceful tossing of the waves of slumber and floating off into the world of dreams.

* * *

He was standing on the street outside of Harden, looking into the darkened windows dotting the building's front. A soft wind sang gently in his ears and he closed his eyes to listen to the song. It chimed in his mind and he heard a distant, soft melody that wasn't coming from Harden. The sweetly sung words floated to him from across the campus. He turned to face it and saw a light blinking through one of the fourth story windows of a building halfway across campus. 

He found himself being tugged gently toward it and looked back to where Harden stood silently against the black sky sprinkled with countless numbers of stars scattered haphazardly across the velvet horizon. Sam's eyes drifted to a window and he saw a young man watching him with a shadowy look in his eyes. Sam focused on the figure in the third floor window and gasped as he saw the young man's neck bent at an angle that wasn't possible in the real world. The man looked completely panicked and he shoved the window up and leapt from it as smoke crawled through the opening. Silence followed, but the soft melody in the background still sang sweetly.

Sam's horrified eyes were locked on the now empty third story window and as he watched, he saw a white hand reach from the room to pull the window down. He tried to rush toward Harden to where the young man had landed, but he found himself still being tugged to the building across campus. As much as he fought it, he found himself following the song and his feet touched against the ground without a sound.

He came to an unwilling stop at the front door of the building he had been drawn to. The sign standing outside the building read Palmer Hall. An eerie blue light illuminated the staircase through the glass of the door. He walked toward it and reached for the handle, pulling it open without difficulty.

Inside, he looked up and saw that the blue light ascended the many, twisting stairwells that led to the very top floor. A shadow stood on the highest landing, watching him through soft eyes that reflected good intentions. The song continued to haunt the halls of Palmer and Sam began to climb the stairs to the fourth floor.

With a breathy sigh, he placed his foot on the final landing and was faced with the doors to the Classics department. The blue light enveloped him with a kind caress that electrified Sam's skin with its touch. The youngest brother smiled at the sense of comfort that fell upon him and he listened to the soft voice singing in his ears. The tinkling of costume jewelry mingled with the song and made for a haunting symphony. Sam had never heard anything quite like it before. He'd never felt so safe and comfortable before. He opened his eyes and was greeted with the smiling gaze of a blue-eyed woman with soft brown curls that fell around her face. The woman was probably fifty, but that didn't fade her beauty.

She pressed a soft hand against his cheek and continued to sing before backing away, still smiling and drifting down the Classics hallway, past the doors leading into the offices of professors and over the aged, hardwood floor. Sam stepped forward and the boards creaked tauntingly beneath his weight. The woman stopped, facing Sam. The singing halted, but the woman still hovered just above the floor.

The youngest brother walked further into the hallway and his eyes caught the glisten of a laminated news article pinned to a bulletin board outside a room labeled as the 'Drake reading room.' His eyes scanned the article that spoke of a professor of Classics and music that had passed away fifteen years previous. The text said that at the professor's funeral, her voice could be heard singing above the choir. It also mentioned that Professor Pike, the woman who had passed away, was famous among students for her love of costume jewelry. Whenever she had a class, the students could hear the tinkling of her jewelry long before she arrived to the classroom.

After her death, many students and staff members had reported feeling her presence in the stairwell of the building, as well as on the fourth floor. A storage room, which used to be her office, rested at the end of the hall and the light was always on for her. If the light were to be turned off, chaos would break out in the room, complete with the marks of scraping chair legs on the ceiling and moved furniture; sometimes the furniture and items in the room were even shoved out into the hallway.

"That's you, isn't it? You're the professor in the article." Sam's voice was soft and whispering as he locked eyes with the woman standing at the hall's end.

The woman nodded with a smile and began to sing again. Sam smiled and watched her shimmer out of existence, yet the sound of her jewelry and the song that she'd been singing still drifted through the halls, now coupled with the soft, light sounds of footfalls against the hardwood.

The building of Palmer ghosted from existence, leaving Sam standing on the sidewalk outside of Harden once again. The feeling of safety and comfort that he'd felt in the Palmer Classics department was gone, and so was the sound of the woman's singing. Now all that remained was a sense of fear and worry. He began quick, long strides up the yard and through the front door of Harden. The halls were dark and terrifyingly quiet. A shifting wind swiped past Sam and into the main hallway, then footsteps were heard echoing on a set of stairs somewhere in the distance. He followed the sound and found himself climbing to the second story.

The hallway that he found himself in was cluttered with shadows and closed doors lined either side. Sam began to walk slowly down the corridor, his footfalls falling soundlessly against the hard floor. Another shifting wind and the smell of fire, choking him, surrounding him. His eyes watered from the stinging smoke and he rubbed the palms of his hands across them.

Screaming voices called to him, uttering unidentifiable words, but filled with panic and fear. The sound of running footfalls began to come toward him; he turned to see an empty hall, yet the sounds still echoed in the corridor. He stood still and felt a rush of cold air pass through him and he blinked.

Upon opening his eyes, he saw the forms of running students hurrying to get to the exit. The hall appearance had changed, and the walls were painted a sharp blue that was different from the crisp white of before. He looked down and saw that the floor covering had changed as well. Grey tiles claimed the floor and Sam felt hands pressing against him, trying to get him to move. Voices asked him what he was doing, could he not hear the fire drill? Eyes watched him with slight fear hidden within them. He blinked again and the swarming students were gone.

He heard frantic pounding on a nearby door and he rushed to it. It wouldn't open and from inside came the shattering scream of a young man in pure agony. Sam beat on the door, trying to gain the attention of whoever was inside, but that attention never came. More screaming came from the stairwell, Sam raced up it and onto the third floor, where he coughed through the smoke that was clouding the corridor. He hurried to a nearby door where frantic, beating fists greeted his ears.

"Hello?" Sam called. The man inside only screamed and then silence fell on the other side of the door.

More screaming and Sam was running down the hall to another door. The number read 315 and smoke poured into the room through the crack at the bottom of the door. Sam's eyes searched the door and he saw a glimmer of copper flashing him from within the crack next to the latch, he groped at it, trying to free it, but was unsuccessful. There was more screaming from inside the room and then it fell silent. The smoke taking over the hallway vanished and the sound of a coin dropping at his feet caught his attention, he looked down, saw a penny and knelt to pick it up. The door to room 315 slowly creaked open and Sam crept inside, looking around for the owner of the scream. He saw nothing, but a bed against one wall, a closet against another and a desk near the window. The window was open and a tattered curtain blew in the breeze.

Sam walked toward the window and pulled back the curtain. He looked down and stifled a startled yelp. The lifeless body of a young man lay on the pavement below and a pool of blood was slowly creeping around the body. A shuffling sound, followed by the dropping of a coin, made him turn around and he couldn't help, but scream. A dark-haired boy watched him from the doorway, with frightened blue eyes. The young man stepped into the room and Sam screamed again. The man's neck was bent at an ungodly angle and a sly smile spread across the lifeless lips, only to be replaced with a scowl.

"Why did you do it?" The boy asked. His voice was gravelly and throaty and the eyes were accusing.

"I didn't!" Sam replied in panic.

"You did. I know you did!" The boy yelled and grabbed Sam's hand.

The youngest Winchester felt searing heat dance through his fingers and he stared in horror at the copper penny lying in his palm. He lifted wide eyes to the young man and backed up. His waist struck the window ledge and he looked back as fear lighted his eyes. When he turned back, the other young man was gone.

Suddenly, a roaring sound sliced through Sam's consciousness and the open door lit up with devouring, orange flames, dashed with various other colours that were characteristically found in fire. The dorm room slowly ignited and Sam was trapped. He yelled out as the flames licked his front and singed his face. He closed his fist around the penny in his palm and searched for a way out.

"There's only one way out." Came the gravelly voice through the flames.

"Down." It said and Sam felt hand grab him by the front of his shirt.

The mutilated face of the young man appeared before him and his neck jutted sharply into the flames. The man smiled and Sam felt himself being shoved. The wind tore at him and he yelled out into the night, the dead man watched him from the open window and slowly slid the glass shut as the flames devouring Harden vanished.

A sharp pain in his head, then an audible snap echoed in Sam's mind and then all went black.

Screaming, he shot to sit in the motel bed and looked over to find that Dean's bed was empty.

"Dean?" He called, desperately wanting his big brother to be there to tell him it was all just a bad dream and not to worry about it.

He pushed himself out of bed and rushed to the bathroom as his stomach churned with the fear that was choking him. His head was exploding in pain and a sharp shock in his neck alarmed him. He hit the light switch in the bathroom and turned to the mirror. He saw that his own neck was bent in the same fashion as the man who had shoved him from the window and the throaty voice in his head slithered silkily through his consciousness.

"I know you did it." The words were harsh and Sam found himself screaming. The sound was being ripped violently from his throat to echo in the cavernous motel room.

* * *

Sam's screams tore through the motel room, and the young man woke, gasping between screams from a deep, restless slumber and his sheets were soaked through and through with chilled perspiration. 

"Dean!" Sam yelled again, and fumbled for the bedside lamp.

There was a weight on his bed and the light was turned on to reveal Dean's alert expression and bed-tousled hair.

"I'm here Sam. I'm right here." Dean's words were soft and he reached out his hands to grasp Sam tightly, by the shoulders.

The younger man with the sweat soaked face reached for the hands on his shoulders and grabbed onto the lower arms of his older brother. With wide eyes, Sam shoved Dean away and sprung from the bed, running to the bathroom. The light was flicked on and a sharp breath was heard from the young man who had just rushed in.

Dean pushed himself quickly from the bed to follow and found Sam on his knees in front of the toilet, retching painfully with a pale face and shaking hands that grasped the toilet seat. The younger brother's grey shirt was stained dark from perspiration and it was drenched, sticking to his trembling body.

Dean kneeled next to Sam and lay a hand on the younger man's shoulder as he calmed himself and struck the handle to the toilet. He weakly pushed himself away and leaned against the tub next to him, his chin dropping to his chest.

"Hey, Sammy?" Dean asked, forcing Sam's head up so that the brothers were staring eye to eye.

"Tell me about your nightmare." Dean finished.

Sam drew a shaking breath and nodded jerkily.

**A/N: Well, what do you folks think so far? Let me know!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Dean was stunned almost into silence as Sam finished the narrative of his nightmare. His eyes were focused solely on Sam's face and nothing else. The younger brother's expression showed that although he was shocked by the nightmare, he had almost fully recovered from the jolt that it had given him.

Sam pushed himself to stand and Dean followed. He then went about filling a glass with water to hand over to the younger man. Sam accepted the offering with a thanks and sipped at it slowly, his mind recounting what he had seen in an attempt to make sense out of it.

He set the empty glass aside and wiped his hands against his hips. The motion halted in mid-action and Sam's face slowly blanked as he shoved his hand into the right hip pocket of his sweat pants. He withdrew a small object that caught the dim light of the bathroom and glittered copper. Sam opened his palm slowly and wavered on his feet as he stared at the penny he held. His face instantly drained of all colour and he moaned in discomfort as his stomach rolled again.

Seeing the change in demeanor of his little brother, Dean eased Sam to the floor in front of the toilet and waited as the younger took deep breaths to calm himself. Finally, the younger Winchester sighed wearily and got slowly to his feet, ready to drop back to his knees should his stomach command it. He straightened himself up and walked carefully out of the bathroom, casting a quick glance to his reflection in the mirror as he passed and seeing that nothing was out of place.

Sam sat gingerly on the edge of his mattress and opened his palm once more, seeing the penny nestled lazily against his skin. He tossed the small piece around in his hand and then let it drop to the floor; it landed without a sound as the carpet gently caught it. Sam watched the penny closely as though he expected it to jump at him and the settling of weight on the bed next to him, drew his attention.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Dean asked, hiding a smirk as his gaze rested on the coin.

Sam wasn't impressed and simply cast a disgusted look in Dean's direction. The older brother shrugged helplessly and pushed himself from the bed.

"So we're definitely dealing with a haunting." Dean finalized.

Sam nodded quietly and didn't speak.

"Angry spirit, sudden, and violent death. That kind of a gig, eh?" The older man asked.

"Yeah, that kind of gig." Sam stated.

"Well, now we know what we're dealing with."

Sam nodded, and returned to watching the penny.

"Sammy, it's not gonna jump ya, man." Dean replied. He knelt down and gathered the coin into his hand.

"It's just a coincidence. You forgot to take the penny out, no big deal." Dean said.

Sam just watched his brother with an expression that showed something between shock and frustration.

"Yeah, that must be it."

"It is. Remember a few mornings ago, you wore those things to the motel office store to grab some snacks? You took the rest of the change out, but you must've missed the penny. It's been known to happen, Sammy."

"I know Dean. It's just such a convenient coincidence I can't help, but question it."

"I know, Sammy, really I do. We'll get to the bottom of this. What about the spirit in Palmer hall?" Dean asked.

"She's not a threat, I don't see why we can't leave her be. I told you that I felt safe with her. She doesn't want to hurt anyone and she never has. She just loved her job and isn't ready to leave, yet. I think we should just leave her alone." Sam spoke genuinely.

"I agree, no harm, no reason to get rid of her." Dean responded.

"The Harden spirits _do_ need to be taken care of, though. They're bad news. Well, at least that Isaac kid is. I'm not sure about the other two." Dean replied.

"Neither am I." Sam admitted.

Suddenly, Sam felt very tired and defeated by the nightmare vision he'd just had. He wanted to do nothing, but sleep it off. He scooted back on his bed and leaned against the pillows. Dean watched as Sam's eyes slowly grew heavy and slid shut. He let a small smile creep to his lips before climbing back into his own bed. He turned on his side to face Sam and drifted into the world of dreams.

* * *

Mid-morning sunlight filtered elegantly through the veil-like curtains and roused Dean from slumber. He heard the shower running in the bathroom and figured that Sam must have been inside. He rolled onto his back and opened his eyes to stare at the white ceiling before turning his head to see the time. 

"Nine thirty." He read simply and smiled at how refreshed he felt.

The shower in the bathroom shut off and a few moments later, Sam emerged fully dressed and running his fingers through his wet hair. The younger brother let his eyes wander to where Dean watched him with a smart smile pasted on his features.

"Dude, you've got your shirt on inside out and backward." The older man sniggered, pointing to the tag that rested against Sam's chest.

"Good morning to you, too." Sam returned before peeling his T-shirt off and putting it back on the right way.

Dean smiled, stretched and rolled out of bed. His feet hit the floor and he pushed himself to stand. After rummaging through his bag for something clean to wear, he started toward the bathroom and shut the door behind him. Short minutes later, the shower started.

Sam grabbed his laptop from the dresser top and slid back onto his bed. He turned it on and clicked absently on the icon for the Internet. He typed in an address for a search engine and then in the type box put the words: 'Harden house fire of 1978.' He scrolled through a few possibilities and settled on the one that looked most promising.

From the bathroom came the muffled sound of Dean singing very off key to a Metallica song. Sam smirked and set the computer aside before creeping to the bathroom door where Dean's voice drifted through to him. He reached cautiously to the doorknob and turned it quietly. Dean really had to learn how to lock up to protect his privacy.

The older brother's singing continued to belt out into the room and Sam made his way silently to the toilet and reached to the handle. With a sharp press the contraption flushed and a startled yelp from Dean, followed by the immediate sound of the older man jumping back out of the spraying range of the shower greeted Sam's ears.

The curtain was pulled back slightly and Dean stuck his head out, looking shocked and appalled.

"Dude, what the hell are you doing? Shower time is private time." The man spoke.

Sam couldn't hold back the smile that spread across his face at seeing the suds of shampoo caking the eldest brother's hair and trails of the soap running down his cheeks.

"Your singing was making my ears bleed. I came in to tell you to shut your trap and shower in silence." Sam grinned.

"And you had to come _in_ and flush the _toilet_ to tell me that? Man, if you wanted me to shut up, you should've just knocked." Dean replied, a small smile now ghosting on his own lips.

"But this way was so much more fun. Now shut your trap and hurry it up, princess, we've got work to do." Sam smiled.

Dean made a rather childish face and vanished back into the shower. Sam began to leave, but couldn't help himself. He flushed the toilet one last time, before rushing out and slamming the door behind him as Dean's colourful cursing floated toward him. Sam made his way back to the bed, smiling and grabbed his computer to wait patiently for Dean to get out of the shower.

A few moments later, the older brother emerged from the bathroom with a wet towel draped around his neck, shooting a glare of daggers in Sam's direction. Sam only laughed and shook his head.

"C'mon, I'm hungry." Sam replied and got up.

"Keep your shirt on, Sammy. I'll just be a few more minutes." Dean replied and turned to face the mirror.

"Well, when you finish primping, I'll be in the car waiting to starve." Sam smiled.

Dean grabbed the towel from around his neck and tossed it at Sam, who stepped aside and watched it fall next to him. With a simple shrug, the young man vanished through the front entrance and Dean heard the passenger door of the Impala slam shut.

"Easy on the car, man!" Dean yelled, not paying attention to the fact that Sam was out of earshot.

**A/N: Next chapter, it's back to the university! Until then!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Okay, this is more or less a filler chapter to introduce those of you who are reading to what's going to take place next. There really isn't a lot of action here, but I hope you can sit tight for the next chapter!**

**Chapter 5**

The campus of Mount Kale University was alive with students rushing to get from class to class and others simply milling around, watching those that passed. Dean eyed the passing female students, while Sam scoffed at his behaviour and focused on the laptop that was open on his lap. The two brothers were sitting on the ground next to the Benson classroom building and beneath an oversized oak tree that shaded them from the sun. For mid October, the weather was still surprisingly warm and a soft breeze kept the temperature at a tolerable level.

"You guys done for the day?" Called a voice from behind the Winchesters.

Dean smiled slyly, recognizing the voice as belonging to the girl they had met in Harden the night before.

"Yeah, we are." Dean answered, turning to face the green eyes of the student.

He cast his gaze to his watch and saw that it read shortly past eleven thirty. They'd spent more time at the town library than he had thought.

"Good, so am I. You two wanna go grab lunch?" Dana questioned.

"Where?" Sam asked, closing his laptop.

"Anywhere, but the dining hall. I hear the special isn't that impressive. How about the Yorkstreet café? They're cheap _and_ they make good food." She answered with a smile.

"Count us in." Dean grinned.

"Great, I've just gotta run back to Harden to drop off my books, you can come along if you'd like." She replied.

Sam nodded and made his way down the grassy knoll they'd been stationed on. Dean followed and took up a position next to Dana.

"So, did you guys make a decision as to which residence you want to stay in yet?" Dana questioned as they made their way past the student centre building.

"Not yet, we're still trying to decide." Sam replied simply.

"Have you seen all of the residences?"

"Yeah. They're kind of close quartered though, aren't they?" Sam replied quickly.

"They're all like that. When you're in residence, you're basically in this huge hotel. Well, kind of, but the guests are friendlier and it's not as expensive." Dana replied.

"I figured." Sam replied.

"Hey, I know what might help you decide! Harden is having its annual house party tonight! You guys should totally come, I can get a friend to get you tickets and then you can have a good time with the H clan. I'll even introduce you to the house dons and the floor monitors." Dana replied suddenly.

"That sounds great." Dean grinned.

"Oh and you guys _have_ to meet the house executive, they're a riot! I'm sure that they'll make you feel welcome."

"You're doing a pretty good job at that yourself." Dean stated with a smirk.

Sam resisted the urge to elbow his 'ladies-man' of a brother harshly in the ribs and only smiled tightly when Dana's eyes passed to him.

* * *

They approached Harden and Dana pulled her keys from her pocket while she was crossing the road. Dean and Sam followed and waited for her to unlock the front door. She pulled it back and waited for them to enter before following herself.

The double doors in the main lobby were wide open and the brothers could see a few people inside decorating the room with streamers and such. Another door at the far end of the room was opened and a young lady was inside preparing what looked to be a bar of sorts. She placed stacks of plastic cups on the far edge of the table she had set up as the main counter, and spread a tablecloth over the table itself before she left to tend to a falling bundle of streamers.

"The decorating team. They do a great job at making the lounge look more attractive." Dana said.

"C'mon, I'll show you my room." She finished.

"Right behind ya!" Dean replied with a grin.

Sam just shook his head and rolled his eyes at his older brother. Then he followed Dean and Dana down the stairs and into the girl's dorm hall. The long corridor was lined with doors on either side, some closed, others opened. Dean peaked into the open doors as he passed, investigating out of curiosity.

There was an excited conversation that came from around the corner and a few moments after it ended, a young brunette hurried around it, wrapped securely in a pink bath towel. Her long, dark hair clung to her bare shoulders in wet ringlets and Dean grinned at her.

"Hi there." The older brother replied.

"Hey!" She yelled back as she rushed past him.

"Does that happen often?" Dean asked, as he watched the towel clad brunette hurry into a nearby room.

"Oh yeah, all the time." Dana said.

"I'm liking this, can I get a room on _this_ floor?" Dean smirked.

"Sorry man, this is a girl's only floor." Sam replied slyly.

Dana grinned and spoke again. "If you think _that _was interesting, wait until you see the way some of the girls will be dressed for tonight."

"Sweet." The older Winchester responded.

Dana turned the corner, walked past the open shower room and stopped at a closed door just next to it. She knocked on the door.

"Millie, you in there?" Dana called.

"Yeah." Came a voice on the other side of the door.

"I've got a couple of guys with me, do you mind if they come in? They got late acceptance and wanna see what the rooms look like." Dana called.

"That's fine, come on in." Millie called back.

Dana turned the knob and opened the door. Sunlight filtered through the open curtains and pranced gaily across the floor to shimmer against the white walls. A blonde girl sat on one of the beds with an open textbook in her lap. She looked up when Dana entered the room with Dean and Sam following behind.

"Hey there! So you're newbies, huh?" The blonde girl replied. Her brown eyes searched the two boys up and down and she smiled gently before closing the book and setting it aside.

"That we are." Dean said. His gaze passed around the room and rested on the bulletin board at the back that was crowded with glossy photographs.

"We're going down to Yorkstreet for lunch, you wanna come?" Dana asked, after placing her schoolbooks neatly on the shelf.

"I have to have this chapter read for Monday." Millie replied, motioning to her book.

"Aw, come on. You can finish the chapter up later, we're only going to be gone for a little while and you're off for the rest of the day." Dana said.

Millie was silent as she thought through the words that Dana spoke. She shrugged.

"Yeah, okay, I'll tag along. I haven't eaten yet, anyway."

"Good, now grab your shoes and let's go." Dana stated with a smile.

"Do you mind if I leave this here?" Sam asked, holding up his laptop.

"Not at all, we lock up, it'll be safe. Just set it on the desk." Dana answered, pointing to one of the desks.

The blonde girl slid off of the bed and grabbed a pair of white slip-ons from beside her desk. A few seconds later, she was ready to go. She followed the trio ahead of her out the door and locked up behind them before shoving the keys back into the pocket of her dark-wash jeans.

They started down the hall, turned the corner and met the young brunette once again; she was dressed in a pair of black cords and a pale pink polo top. Her dark curls were pulled into a tight ponytail and it left a watermark on the back of her shirt where it hit.

"Hey, Kelly! All ready for the party tonight?" Millie asked warmly.

"You bet! I can't wait." The dark haired girl said. She smiled shyly at Dean and Sam and made her way to a nearby room that she knocked on.

"Beth! Time to get out of bed, it's nearly noon and you've got a class at one!" Kelly called cheerfully.

The door was opened a few moments later and Kelly vanished inside with a simple giggle at seeing her friend's fresh-out-of-bed appearance.

* * *

Yorkstreet café was a small place, with two large windows looking out onto the street. The tables were small and comfortable, with high backed, cushioned chairs. In the centre of each table sat a decorative candle and on either side of the candle were salt and pepper shakers. A holder that was filled with napkins sat behind the candle and the sweet smell of specialty coffee sifted lazily throughout the room. A few other students sat around, sipping at either a coffee or a smoothie and some chewed contentedly on a meal that sat on the table in front of them.

The Winchester brothers scanned the room and passed their eyes over the dark-toffee coloured walls that were decorated with various paintings or photographs. The floor was weathered wood and created a very soothing, homey feel that slipped around the tables to tickle the customers gently as it passed.

A young man with brown hair and blue eyes came to the table holding four menus.

"You want the usual, Dana?" He asked.

"Yes, please. Oh and Tim, get me a strawberry smoothie to go with it this time, instead of water." Dana replied.

"Getting daring, aren't you?" Tim grinned. Dana only shrugged.

He handed three menus to the others, kept the fourth, and then made his way to the kitchen with a promise hat he'd be back shortly to take their orders. Dean scanned his eyes over the choices and smiled when he glanced to the door and saw the special written on a chalkboard next to it.

A few moments later, Tim returned with a notebook and pulled a pen from behind his ear.

"All set?" He asked.

"I'll have the special with a mixed berry smoothie." Dean said with a friendly grin.

Tim scribbled the order down on a piece of paper and then turned curiously to Millie and Sam.

The orders were taken and Tim took the paper back to the kitchen.

"Listen, Millie, can I get you to check in with Pauly and Jordan when we get back. Sam and Dean need tickets to the party tonight, and I know you have the connections to get them at the last minute." Dana asked softly.

Millie smiled and pulled a napkin from the holder.

"Sure thing, I've done it before." She said.

"Don't do it if it's any trouble." Sam said simply.

"It's not any trouble, Sam. I'll get your tickets when we get back. Pauly always keeps a few extra in his room and of course, it helps that he's my cousin." Millie responded quickly.

"Thanks." Dean told her with a grin.

A short time later, the meals were placed on the table in front of the four people and each one began to eat while sharing casual and friendly conversation.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Man, why didn't _I_ go to college?" Dean replied as he watched Dana out on the dance floor.

"Trust me, it's not always like this." Sam said.

"Oh yeah, all that book stuff, right?"

"Right." Sam smirked.

"Hey, let me show you guys the upper floors." Yelled Millie as she walked toward them.

The music in the lounge was painfully loud and it rang in the ears of the Winchesters. They nodded eagerly, more than ready to get out of the close quarters and breathe some fresh air. Millie turned back and tapped Dana on the shoulder. The girl turned to her roommate and a brief conversation was exchanged between the two, ending with a nod from Dana.

"She's gonna meet us up on third." Millie replied over the music.

The brothers followed the blonde out of the lounge and took a deep breath as they entered the main lobby, which was decidedly less cramped than the other room. A few students stood against the far wall and others had gathered in the main entrance.

Millie led the Winchesters to the entrance to the male dorm rooms and pulled the door back before stepping in. She held the door for three guys on their way to the lounge and then for the two brothers, who walked past the door and let it shut behind them.

The hallway was much more quiet than the lobby, but there were still some shouts and laughter coming from the open doors and at the hall's end. Millie led them on a tour of the first floor, then upstairs. Sam stopped almost instantly after they stepped on the final stair of the second floor landing. Millie turned back after realizing that the Winchesters weren't following.

"C'mon, you're a hazard just standing there. If a fire were to start, you'd be blocking the only way off of this floor." Millie replied with a grin, trying to make light of the awkward silence that had fallen over the two young men.

Sam's face blanked and he blinked back the stinging of smoke in his eyes. A small pain began to throb dully behind his temples and he brought a hand to his forehead. Just as soon as the pain had started, it stopped and melted away to nothing. There was literally no sound coming from anywhere on the second floor, it was all a deep, pressing sensation of silence. Slowly, the distant sounds of thundering footfalls rushed toward him, he saw the hazy figures of running students scatter into his line of sight. As they drew closer, not slowing down, he lifted his hands up to protect himself. Cold air sliced around him and he teetered on the edge of the stair. A firm hand pulled him back to steady ground and with another blink, he saw only the confused and concerned faces of Dean and Millie watching him.

"Sam? Are you okay?" Millie questioned, stepping forward. The hallway behind her erupted in flame and it roared toward them. When it consumed her, Sam yelped and stumbled back into Dean's arms.

"Sam? What's wrong with you, man?" Dean asked with concerned tone of sharpness.

The fire vanished and left only Millie in the hall. She hurried to the brothers with deep lines of worry creasing her brow.

"Wow! What'd you guys put in the punch?" Sam asked quickly, trying to cover up for his slip.

"Dude, you had _one_ glass, you _can't_ be drunk. I thought you could hold your liquor better than that." Dean replied with a stiff smile, that didn't hide the fact that he knew that there was clearly something deeper going on with Sam.

"I'm fine, just got a weird feeling." Sam said.

"That's not unusual. Everybody gets weird vibes up here, sometimes. Some say it's a sure sign that this place is haunted. We can go back, if you want." Millie replied.

"No, it's okay." Sam said.

"You sure?" Dean questioned, seeing the tense look slowly vanishing from his little brother's features.

"Yeah, positive." Sam replied and to illustrate his point, he stepped into the main hallway of the second floor.

With a vague sense of suspicion and uneasiness, Sam followed Millie. He half listened to her speak and glanced around the hallways. A group of guys came toward them, shouted a quick hello and then went upstairs to the third floor, engaged in eager conversation. Sam watched them vanish up the stairwell and watched Millie turn back to follow them.

"Let's head up to third, I imagine Dana's there by now." She said and Sam swallowed the sudden lump that formed in his throat.

For Sam, climbing the stairs was like slowly ascending into a blizzard with minus thirty temperatures. He shuddered involuntarily and continued up the final nine or so steps. The hallway of third floor was alive with action, yet Sam still felt an intense chill surrounding him. He rubbed the goose bumps that had formed on his arms and followed Millie down the hall. They passed room 310 and the numbers continued to decrease until she stopped outside of room 300 at the hall's end. She turned back, waiting for Dean and Sam to do the same and then she began to walk back toward the stairwell.

Sam felt a tickle in his chest and found himself coughing slightly at the sudden smokiness in the halls. His eyes began to water and he rubbed his palms across them. The sense of smoke seemed to grow stronger as they drew closer to the stairs and when the rounded the corner, Sam halted quickly, swallowing the yelp that was bubbling in his throat. A group of students stood outside of one of the rooms and the door was shut tight. From within the crowd, amongst the swirling smoke, Sam saw a white hand reach through the wood of the closed door to brush gently over the young man standing in the front.

"Here's the key, go on in, man. It's not like there's anything in there. It's just an empty room." A female's voice replied.

Sam scanned the group and saw Dana watching from near the front, standing next to the chestnut haired girl that had spoke.

The young man being addressed passed anxious brown eyes over the gathered group and ran a hand through his short, black hair. Sam could clearly see the tension rippling through the student and his stomach clenched at the sight of the pale hand reaching for the stiff, young man.

The youngest brother wanted to yell out to tell the guy not to go in, but his voice wouldn't escape through his tight throat. He tried to move to pull the student back himself, but he couldn't do that either. He was helpless, and could only watch as the dark haired man pushed the key into the lock and turned it. The reaching hand pulled back and the student pushed the door open and vanished inside.

"Shut the door, Greg." A man replied from within the group.

The door was shut and silence wrapped itself around the narrow hallway. Millie and Dean walked forward, but Sam remained still. His breathing was quick and shallow as his eyes desperately locked on the closed door. He knew that the young man had just gone into room 315.

"Sammy?" Dean asked when he realized that the younger Winchester hadn't moved an inch.

Sam grimaced at the small pain that drummed in his head and he shut his eyes tight to block out the sight before him. A hand on his arm drew him back and he met Dean's concerned, hazel eyes. The older brother's eyes shifted back to room 315 and then back to his brother. He turned back to the door, then to Sam and drew in a breath.

"Damn it!" Dean breathed as he realized what was going on. He hurried to the crowd and pushed his way through.

"Greg? Come back out, man." Dean called.

"What the hell are you doing?" A young man from the crowd asked.

Dean didn't pay attention and simply called again.

"Greg? Get your ass out here!" The older brother yelled again.

The door to room 315 opened and a confused looking Greg stepped out into the hall. He cast wide eyes to Dean, who breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pulled the young man away from the open door. The eldest Winchester pulled the door shut and nodded in Sam's direction.

"Dean?" Dana asked. Her face was puzzled.

The man in question turned to Greg.

"Are you okay, man?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" Greg questioned, but his voice was cool and snarling.

"What were you doing?" Dean inquired.

"Trying to prove to these freaks, that I'm not a chicken. It was a dare. Apparently this room's the place where a kid jumped out the window. People say that it's haunted." Greg stated.

"Then why the hell did you go in?" Dean probed further.

"You don't honestly think I believe in that story, do you?" Greg queried.

"Um, yeah! You certainly looked convinced before you went in."

"That was before. I went in and I'm telling ya, there's nothing there, man. Go see for yourself." Greg handed the key to Dean and motioned to the door.

"No thanks." The older brother tossed the key back and started back toward his brother, who was rubbing his forehead as though to banish a headache.

"Sam?" Dean questioned.

The youngest brother's eyes flew open and the colour left his face. He began to rush forward, but before he got beyond Dean, there was a chorus of screams and shouts that came from the gathered group. Dean turned around and saw a few people rush into the room, Dana being one of them. He ran after them and heard another scream, sounding like Dana echo from beyond the open door

He shoved through the gathered crowd in room 315 to the window, where he looked down onto the pavement to see Greg sprawled out down below with blood seeping around his head. From next to him Dana was choking back another startled cry that was twisting through her body. She grabbed Dean's arm and he pulled her against him, hiding her eyes from the sight on the ground below.

"Everybody out, now!" Dean called into the group. They immediately obeyed and backed out of the room with shocked faces. The older Winchester pulled Dana along with him and yanked the door shut behind them.

"Holy shit." The young woman in Dean's arms moaned into his chest.

"Somebody go get the Dons and call an ambulance." Sam replied, his voice was shakily shocked and his wide eyes roamed freely from Dean and Dana, to the white-faced Millie and then to the other people standing in the hall. He ran trembling hands over his dark hair and watched the closed door through anxiety filled eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The Harden house party had more or less died in light of recent events. The Dons had instructed all students who had not been in the vicinity of where the most recent 'suicide' had taken place to leave and go straight back to their own residences.

As it was, Harden house looked deserted. All students had gone back to their rooms and now the lounge stood dark and pressingly silent in the main lobby. The main hallways were empty and only the overhead lights showed that there were actually students present in the house. All doors were shut and students were closed behind them, either calling their parents or trying to find something to occupy their time while they waited for the okay to leave their rooms.

However, the third floor was alive and bustling with action. Police and crime scene investigators crawled room 315, looking for answers, while other officers milled in the halls, questioning students who had been in the area at the time of death.

The police had come and gone, questioning the Winchesters and making sure they knew that they were to stay close incase further questioning was needed. Dana stood next to Dean, shocked into silence and Millie sat on the floor a small distance away from the congregation of three, who were observing the sight before them with cautious and questioning eyes. A young man made his way over to where Millie sat and he sunk down next to her, his face was a pale mask of grief and tear stains trailed down his cheeks. It was obvious that he and the victim had been good friends.

"Hey, you okay?" The man asked.

Millie nodded her head in a jerky motion and didn't resist when he pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms protectively around her. Before long, both were gasping for breath between choked and agonized sobs. A police officer moved to where the two sat and knelt in front of them, his blue eyes shone in sympathy and a few words were exchanged before Millie nodded and allowed the young man holding her to guide her gently to her feet.

The two made their way to where Dean, Sam and Dana stood and stopped. Millie brushed the tears away from her eyes with a hand and sighed.

"I'm going back to the room. I don't want to be here right now." Millie spoke. Her voice shook a bit and Dana stepped forward to pull her into a hug.

"Okay hun. We'll be down in a little bit." Dana wiped a tear off of Millie's cheek and stepped back next to Dean.

With a forced smile, Dana's roommate and the young man with her started down the stairs, not looking back.

"Greg was a really close friend of Millie's, his death is gonna take a lot out of her." Dana replied softly, her eyes still watching the stairwell.

"What about the other guy?" Dean asked.

"That's Matt, he and Greg were roommates. They got along like a charm because they were so much alike."

Dean nodded silently and his gaze drifted to where Sam had moved away and was leaning forward into a wall, his hands bracing himself. The oldest brother left Dana with a light touch to the shoulder and made his way to where Sam stood.

"You okay, little brother?" Dean asked, compassion clearly chiming in his words.

Sam pushed himself off of the wall and turned to face Dean.

"I knew what was going to happen, but I couldn't stop it." Sam said quietly.

"Sam, this isn't your fault. From what I saw, you were just released from that vision, seconds before Greg took his swan dive. There was nothing you could've done." Dean assured the younger man, whose eyes searched the older brother's face for any sign of dishonesty. There was nothing there except plain and simple concern for the youngest Winchester.

"Maybe you're right, but _maybe_ you're not. Maybe there _was_ something more I could've done. I could've yelled to you or something instead of trying to rush in myself." Sam sighed.

"Sam, there was _nothing_ you could have done. Trust me, I _am _right." Dean answered.

Sam fell silent and turned his head away from his brother's probing eyes and drew in a couple of breaths before turning back. He found that Dean had already left and now he stood next to Dana, speaking quietly to her. Sam walked over to where the two stood and caught the tail end of a conversation.

"Are you sure?" Dean questioned.

"Pretty sure, I don't imagine Matt's going to leave my room tonight. I'll go talk to Dave and Tara about it, but I don't think it'll be a problem."

Once the words had been exchanged, Dana left Dean, and gently pushed her way through the crowd to where a man and a woman stood, separated from the groups of students and police officers. Sam watched her go and saw the act of a conversation begin between Dana and the two people whom she'd gone to meet. Both the man and the woman cast their eyes in the direction of the Winchesters, while still listening to Dana speak.

"What doesn't she think will be a problem?" Sam questioned, curiously searching Dean's face.

"We know for certain that we've got a job in this place, right?" Dean asked. He watched Sam nod.

"Getting a bit more information about this thing wouldn't hurt, would it?"

"No." Sam replied.

"Then why don't we stay here tonight? We'll keep an eye on the place and maybe get a feel for what's been going on, lately."

"Where would we stay?" Sam wondered.

"Here, in Harden. Dana's going to see if she can convince the house Dons to let us crash in one of the empty rooms. She said that it likely won't be a problem if she claims responsibility for us."

Sam's eyes wandered to where Dana was still speaking to the Dons. It looked like she was making progress, because the man nodded in understanding and said a few more words before turning back to the woman and exchanging another short conversation, one which Dana jumped into with what appeared to be confidence.

"How's she gonna get them to agree with it?"

"She's gonna stay _with_ us tonight. Just to make sure we don't get into something we're not supposed to." Dean grinned.

"Oh, she is?" Sam asked, his voice slightly suspicious of this new bit of information.

"Yeah, she thinks that Matt's gonna end up staying in her and Millie's room tonight, so she'll just stay in the room with us."

"Do you really think that this will help us get a handle on the situation?" Sam questioned.

"Do you?" Dean challenged.

Sam was quiet before he locked his gaze firmly with Dean's. He nodded sharply.

"I do." Were the words that he spoke, and Dean smiled.

There was a bit of commotion coming through the groups and The brothers turned to see Dana walking toward them with a look of pure satisfaction resting on her face. Dean patted his brother on the shoulder and Sam saw that the older man was still wearing that pleased grin on his lips when Dana nodded to them with a small smile.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Who the hell decided on the tiles? Whoever it was is in desperate need of a supernatural purging." Dean made a face as his eyes roamed over the hideous floor with tiles in every shade of salmon pink and teal.

Sam smirked and tossed his duffel bag to the bed on the right side of the room.

"Do you think all the rooms have this junk covering the floors?" Dean questioned.

"In a university dorm building, most likely." Sam assured his brother.

Once again, Dean's face twisted into an expression of disgust. He tossed his bag to one of the desk chairs and flopped down on the bare mattress of the other bed. There was a light knock at the door and Dean called for the person to come in.

Dana entered the room, holding two sets of bed sheets. Dean gawked at the bundles she held against her chest and cocked an eyebrow toward his brother. The young woman at the door stepped further into the room and tossed the sheets on Dean's bed.

"I thought you guys might want something to cover those gross mattresses with." Dana replied, her eyes passing from Winchester to Winchester.

"Thanks, Dana." Sam replied.

"No problem, I'll just go back to my room and grab a couple of pillows." Dana spoke and then vanished back out into the hall.

Dean cast his eyes to the sheets, watching them cautiously.

"Sammy, _you're_ sleeping on the pink ones." Dean shot at his brother. He grabbed the set from the foot of the bed and tossed it at Sam.

Sam shrugged and went about making his bed, Dean shuddered at the feminine colours and grabbed the other sheets, which were coloured a pale purple. He lifted the sheets to his nose and grimaced.

"Dude, these things smell like a chick." Dean stated bluntly.

"Shut up and make your bed, jerk." Sam grinned.

"Bitch." Dean shot back and did as his little brother told him to.

* * *

Dean shoved one of the floral patterned pillows under his head and leaned back into it. The crisp white ceiling seemed to mock his situation and he only sighed. Dana had gone back down to check on Millie and said that she'd be back shortly. Before leaving, she'd shown the brothers where the bathrooms and the showers were located, and demonstrated how to turn the showers on, seeing as they were a bit _different_ than 'normal' showers. 

Truth be told, both Sam and Dean had operated showers of similar make in the countless motels that they'd stayed in throughout their little 'road trip.' Still, neither Winchester told her otherwise, and Dean was even more pleased when the shower spat at them and water splattered against the front of Dana's light coloured shirt.

Dean rolled off of the bed and made his way to where his duffel bag sat, untouched since he'd tossed it. He drew back the zipper and grabbed a fresh set of clothes before turning to Sam.

"I'm gonna go for a shower." The older brother replied.

"Kay." Sam answered and watched Dean leave the room.

Once Dean had shut the door to room 312, gently behind him, Sam grabbed his laptop from the desk and settled himself back on the bed. It seemed that he had been doing a lot of research lately. No matter, if research would help get rid of this spirit, than so be it, Sam would research until he could do no more, if it meant that nobody else in Harden would die.

* * *

Dean eased himself into the shower, letting the hot water roll down his back and dance across his shoulders. Steam began to rise and cling to the ceramic tiled walls, creating a thin sheen of moisture. The oldest brother closed his eyes, and letting the water prance against his skin, he slowly relaxed. 

Not knowing how long he'd been in the shower, Dean shut the water off and grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist as he stepped into the changing alcove. He went about towel drying himself, and was stopped when he heard the close sound of a whisper, speaking words that he couldn't make out.

With a cautious and suspicious glitter in his eyes, he quickly dressed himself as the whispering continued to chorus around him. There was nobody else in the shower room that he was aware of, yet he could still clearly hear the low voices growling throughout the small area.

After gathering his stuff, he slung the curtain to the changing area back and was met with an empty room. None of the three other showers was occupied, and the door to the bath was open and propped back with a doorstop, it was dark inside.

Dean cast suspicious eyes around the room and heard a rustle of wind next to him. He turned quickly to see one of the shower curtains fluttering beneath an unseen force.

What sounded like a sigh came from inside the room with the tub. Dean softly walked toward it and thrust his hand around the door case to flick on the light switch. The place was empty, yet Dean could still sense another presence in the shower room with him. He turned back to the door that shut out the hallway and saw the short flicker of a human shape waver next to him. Just as soon as it had appeared, it was gone, leaving Dean alone once again.

The eldest Winchester blinked and shook his head. When he finally pulled himself back, he could taste smoke lingering in the air. It coated his tongue like thick poison and crawled slowly into his lungs. Before he knew it, he was coughing and struggling to draw in breath that was polluted by the dark fog that had started to take over the small room. Dean's eyes stung and he rubbed viciously at them, trying to banish the feeling.

One by one, the showers turned on, sending a mist of cold water to attack Dean. He jumped as the door to the tub room slammed shut and he felt a hand trail across his neck. The hand was frighteningly hot and it burned his skin as it trailed along. Dean tried to pull the door open that would take him into the hall, but it wouldn't budge, it was as though it were locked from the outside, yet the door _had_ no lock.

"What the hell?" Dean spoke through the smog that had been building steadily.

It was hard to see, and Dean blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear his vision up. The smoke still hung in the air and slithered across Dean's skin. The burning touch switched to his face and trailed across his cheeks before moving down to his chest where it pressed against him, sending a sharp, fiery sensation through his body.

He yelled out as the hand tossed him back and into one of the showers where the icy water quickly changed to boiling hot. He struggled to escape the burning spray from the shower, but found himself being forcibly pushed under it. He yelled, fought, and eventually gained freedom. He stumbled out into the changing area and shot into the main part of the room where he stopped up almost instantly.

"Holy hell." Dean breathed, his eyes locked on the space in front of him.

* * *

Sam's hands clutched at his head and his breath came in short, quick, pained gasps. He leaned forward, doubling in on himself as the slicing agony in his head began to slowly take over. He grimaced and gritted his teeth, before pushing the laptop aside and rolling off of the bed to hit the floor on his knees. 

He painfully began to pick himself up as the final wisps of the vision ghosted away. His eyes widened and he stumbled to the door, pulling it open, and nearly running into Dana as he burst into the hall. The young woman jumped back in alarm, but upon seeing the pained grimace on Sam's face, she shoved her hands forward to push Sam upright before he fell in an ungraceful heap on the floor.

"What the hell, Sam? Are you okay?" Dana replied as she pushed him gently back into the room.

The youngest brother struggled against the green-eyed girl and pushed her aside to rush back out into the hall. He raced past room 315 and skidded to a halt in front of the shower room door.

"Dean!" Sam yelled to the door. He beat his palms against the polished wooden surface and tried to tug the blockade open.

"Sam, what's wrong?" Dana asked, coming up behind him.

Sam continued to beat on the door without receiving an answer from his brother on the other side.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Dean!" Sam yelled again. The palms of his hands stung from pounding against the door, but he continued to do so.

"Sam, shhh! You're disturbing quiet hours, I can get seriously fined for that." Dana replied.

"I don't give a _damn_ about quiet hours! Dean's in very real danger in there!" Sam yelled.

"He's in danger in the _shower_? Oh, you've _got_ to be joking!" Dana said.

"Do I _look_ like I'm joking?" Sam snapped.

Dana studied Sam's desperate face and then drew in a breath.

"Dean?" She called.

Sam slammed his hands helplessly against the polished wood and cursed under his breath when Dean failed to answer Dana's call. Sam struggled with the door, unable to shove it open. He searched desperately for a solution to the problem and saw a glimmer of copper taunting him from next to the latch. Without thinking twice, Sam began to claw at the wooden surface, his fingers trying to dig the copper out, short seconds later the clatter of a coin hitting the floor gained a triumphant shout from Sam as the youngest Winchester barreled in through the door, with wide and searching eyes.

Dean was on his knees in front of one of the showering alcoves. A cupped hand hovered in front of the oldest hunter's mouth as he coughed around a thick film of smoke that wasn't there. His cheeks were flushed red from the breathy hacking and he looked ready to topple forward at any given moment. Sam rushed to him and hit the floor on his knees. He reached to grab his older brother's shoulders and steady him as he began to teeter forward.

"Dean?" Sam asked, lifting his brother's face to meet his eyes.

The bleary, hazel gaze stared aimlessly at him as Dean continued to choke his way around the invisible smoke. The older brother's eyes fluttered and Sam pulled him toward him to keep him alert. Dean didn't resist; he leaned into his brother's touch as the coughing slowly subsided.

"Is he okay?" Dana asked timidly from her spot next to Sam.

Sam nodded. "He will be."

A few more seconds passed and Dean gained enough strength to push himself gently away from the younger man holding him. The oldest brother's eyes roamed the walls and ceiling and he locked eyes with Dana. A mask slid into place to hide the vulnerability that Dean was feeling and he lifted a hand to point at the wall.

"Were those always like that?" He asked through a monotone voice that portrayed none of what he was feeling.

Sam and Dana followed his finger and gaped openly at what they saw.

Dana shook her head. "No." She answered numbly.

Charred black marks patterned the walls, stretched onto the ceiling and streaked the floor. It looked as though flames had once consumed the room, yet there was no other damage evident to raise the suspicion of a fire.

"Didn't think so." Dean replied in that same monotone. He licked his dry, chapped lips and hauled himself to his feet with the help of Sam.

"Are you okay?" Sam questioned, seeing the blank look shadowing Dean's face.

"Sure Sammy." Dean replied and made a weak attempt at flashing one of his cocky smiles.

The older brother stood up straighter, yet he didn't brush away the hands that held his shoulder. He blinked owlishly and Sam felt an angry breeze whip past him and slither out into the hall. Dana gasped as she felt it as well. Dean did nothing, but stare in awe at the black patterned walls. The crawling feeling that the departing presence had left slicking Sam's skin, slowly ghosted away and the young man's attention darted back to where Dean was trembling beneath his touch.

In the hallway, the sound of a coin dropping drew the attention of the three people and a growling voice whispered maliciously, electrifying the air with the fierceness in the tone.

"_Why did you do it?"_ The voice asked.

"Do what?" Dana questioned. Her frightened voice was cautiously silent and she searched the room for the voice's owner.

"You heard that?" Sam questioned upon seeing a sense of shock jolt across Dean's features.

"Yeah." Dana whispered.

"What the hell's going on in here?" Came a stern voice from the doorway.

The three people in the room turned to face the words and were greeted by the intense gaze of a blue-eyed, blonde man who was about twenty. His arms were spread in a questioning gesture and his eyes flickered in a curious manner as they passed over the three faces staring back at him. The man's gaze scanned the blackened walls and slowly blanked in a manner that would have been comical, had it not been for the current situation.

He switched his vision back to the group standing before him and understanding dawned across his features. The muscles in his face tightened and he quickly ushered the three out of the room, yanking the door shut behind them.

"This has happened before." Sam stated.

The man nodded.

"It's happened before." Was the only response that Sam received.

* * *

Sam sat on the edge of the bed, watching Dean, who was scrolling absently through an Internet site. The laptop rested on the older man's knees and the only sounds that drifted through the open room were those of the computer keys clicking and the soft breathing that came from either of the brothers. 

Dana had once again taken her leave to go back to her room and left the Winchesters alone in the third floor room. Dean sighed and pulled the palms of his hands over his burning eyes. He yawned, stretched and then returned to the laptop screen. Sam watched him silently. Dean looked up and caught Sam's eyes.

"What?" Dean asked, locking his gaze with his brother's.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sam questioned.

"I'm fine." Dean replied and closed the laptop.

Sam chewed on the inside of his cheek as his eyes flitted away from his brother to the window. There was a shift of movement and Sam instantly turned back to check on Dean. The older hunter had gotten to his feet and was standing in front of the mirror, his eyes searching the reflection that stared back at him.

"Dude, the chicks _so_ won't dig the whole red lobster thing I got goin' on. How the hell am I suppose to get myself a good time looking like _this_?" Dean mused, pointing an accusing finger at the reflection.

Sam smirked. Dean glared at his reflection and the red hue that his skin had taken on because of the hot water that he'd been held under, not to mention the 'fire' in the shower room that had burned his skin. Dean looked like he'd spent far too much time outside in the sun on a hot day.

"You don't even notice it, not really." Sam replied, a smile playing with the corners of his mouth.

"Screw you, man." Dean muttered, still looking at his reflection.

Sam laughed, watching his brother struggle with the loss of his 'macho' status, due to some pyromaniac of a ghost. The youngest Winchester, still chuckling, eased himself onto his back and stared at the ceiling while listening to Dean's random intervals of cursing upon finding a new red spot on his skin.

"Really Dean, nobody will notice." Sam grinned.

"Sammy, I'm a damn lobster! Don't you tell me the chicks won't notice! They can't help but notice me." Dean replied and Sam could hear a smile humming through the final phrase that had been spoken.

"You're so full of yourself, Dean." Sam grinned.

Sam heard the mattress on the other side of the room creak as Dean threw himself onto it. A frustrated sigh came from the older brother and Sam turned his head to face the sound, the grin slipping from his face. Dean was on his back, watching the ceiling as though he blamed it for his so called 'transformation'. The eyes of the oldest hunter flashed in the dim lighting of the room and Sam smiled again.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I wasn't going to post this part up until tomorrow, but I really wanted to get it up and I couldn't help myself, so here it is!**

**Chapter 10**

A whisper. It was soft and hushed, hard to understand, but it was there. It gently assaulted Dean's ears as he was drawn from the void of sleep that he'd fallen into. He opened his eyes to stare into the thick night that covered the room. His eyes drifted to where the curtain fluttered gracefully in the soft breeze sobbing through the screen.

The whisper chimed again, distant and coming from an unknown source. Dean pushed the sheets back and slid from the mattress to touch his feet on the chilled tiles of the floor. He pushed himself off of the bed and walked quietly to where the curtain taunted him. He made no sound as he drew the material back and shuffled closer to the window to look out onto the campus. The breeze sang around his waist and torso, and floated up to slap him lightly in the face. Dean drew a deep breath, smelling the autumn air and blinking the final traces of sleep from his eyes.

He turned back and his gaze shifted gently around the room, first resting on Sam, who was turned on his side, facing the wall and breathing softly in the relative silence of the room. His eyes then wandered to Dana, who was on her stomach, resting against a mattress on the floor. The sheets were pooled around her and she pulled them up under her chin to snuggle down into them. Dean turned back to the window and silently pulled it shut before putting the curtain back into place.

Sam shifted in slumber and sprawled out on his back, one hand resting under the pillow that supported his head. The younger Winchester sighed and brushed the other hand across his cheek as if to banish a ghostly touch that lingered there. Dean's face was lovingly blank as he watched his brother sleep.

The sharp sound of metal hitting the floor echoed from outside the closed door that protected Dana and the Winchesters. Dean took a step forward as he heard soft footfalls pacing back and forth in front of the door. The sound of the footsteps floated toward him and rang smoothly in his ears. He moved forward again, not quite sure what he was going to do, but feeling the urge to investigate the sounds.

The footfalls stopped, halting in front of the closed door that Dean was moving toward. Dana turned over in her sleep; Dean froze and waited for her to settle again before continuing to greet the sounds. He stopped, he listened, and he heard shallow breathing gasping from the person in the hall, followed by a soft moan, then a whimper. Dean was confused.

The footfalls started again, pacing back and forth in the hallway. Dean saw the light that crept into the room from the crack in the door, flicker. He gasped slightly, a sense of realization dawning on him.

He turned back to Sam, contemplating whether or not to wake him, yet something in the back of his mind kept him from doing so. Something told him to let the other sleep, that there was no need to wake him and so he didn't. He let Sam sleep on, vaguely noting that his little brother seemed to be having a restful sleep for once in a long time. There were no lines of fear etched into the young one's face and no anxious breathing rattled from his mouth. There were no nightmares interrupting his baby brother's slumber and he wanted it kept that way.

The footfalls stopped again, resting in front of the door. A shift of movement, the clatter of metal against tile, and then the ragged breathing, nearly wheezing as though the person couldn't draw breath. A whimper, a moan, a choked sob, followed by soft coughing that grew increasingly louder. Dean reached for the door handle with a steady hand and the sounds stopped the instant his fingers brushed against the knob. He closed his hand on the handle and turned. A click echoed in the small room and then the hinges of the door creaked as he pulled it open.

The hallway was empty. Dean cast his eyes up and down the hall and a glitter of copper on the floor drew his attention. A shining penny glared up at him, tails up. Dean knelt and reached for the fallen coin. His fingertips touched the cool metal and he gathered the coin into his palm before standing and staring dumbly at it.

The door behind him drifted shut almost without a sound and Dean turned to watch the polished wooden surface with intense, hazel eyes. A choked breath struggled from behind him and he whipped back around to face it. A whimper ghosted in the dim hallway and the lights began to flicker again. Dean felt a rush of warm air twisting toward him through the corridor and his brow drew together in a confused expression.

The wheezing breath chimed dully in his ears, wrapping itself around every fragment of his mind and he felt hot hands shove him toward room 315 where a definite sense of fear sighed thickly through the door. He tried to resist, but something told him not to. He was _supposed_ to go to room 315. His sock clad feet fell soundlessly against the tiled surface under him and he made his way to the crime-sealed door that seemed to be beckoning to him.

He stopped in front of the room and gazed blankly at the black numbers on the door, labeling it as 315. This was where he was supposed to be. Dean felt the fragments of his mind dwindle away to fade into the darkness that flooded his memories as something took over. He reached out to the door and heard the lock click from the other side. He turned the knob and pushed the door open. A darkened room stared back at him, yet there was somebody hiding in the shadows. He knew it.

Dean stepped through the threshold and his eyes immediately began to sting from unseen smoke. He blinked the feeling away and cast a gaze around the room. His attention was drawn to the window. The screen was gone, so there was nothing to protect the inside from the outside. The curtain mocked him, dancing gaily in a breeze that shifted through the suddenly hot room.

Dean pulled his hands across his perspiration-coated face and brushed away some of the droplets that had gathered on his forehead and rolled down his cheeks. He found himself wheezing and not realizing that he was doing it. His breath struggled to escape his tight chest and he passed blurry eyes around the dark room. From within the shadows tucked against the walls came a shimmering shape, wavering in the heat waves radiating around the oldest Winchester. Dean watched in horror as small flames crept viciously from the corners of the room and leapt over the open door, claiming it in a wall of fire that blocked his escape. The door slammed shut and he heard the sound of a coin dropping on the other side.

In a panic, Dean backed away from the approaching flames until his lower back nudged the windowsill. He was trapped, he couldn't go any further and the fire inched its way toward him. In the halls, the fire alarm drummed, rousing students from sleep. Dean pressed himself tighter against the windowsill and suddenly an overwhelming sense of calm rushed through him. The fire in the room licked at him, but he wasn't afraid.

A shape moved in the flames and a young man emerged, his neck bent at a sickening angle and his lips curled into a sinister smile. The dark eyes of the disfigured man glared hollowly, shimmering with a glow that could only be described as malicious. He reached into the flames and withdrew a copper penny. The coin caught the orange glow from the fire and the man holding it shifted the penny in the dancing light, watching it glisten with a crazed gleam in his dark gaze.

"Why did you do it?" The man asked, holding up the coin. His voice hissed like the fire that was slowly eating away at Dean's safe area.

"I didn't." Dean replied. His voice was a cool monotone that held no emotion in its depths.

"Yes you did."

Dean shook his head in the negative, the calm feeling still pawing through every shred of his being. He pushed himself away from the window ledge and stood firmly in front of the glaring man that was watching him through sinister eyes.

"There's no way out."

"Yes there is." Dean smirked.

The spirit in the flames smiled.

"Down." Dean replied simply and turned back to the window ledge.

The oldest Winchester shoved the window open and let the crisp breeze whip through his hair and punish some of the flames behind him. A flash of movement and Dean saw the disfigured man hovering directly next to him, watching him closely. The spirit's dead breath slithered silkily across Dean's neck and the hunter smirked again as he stuck his head out the window and cast his eyes toward the ground where he saw a bloodstain grow steadily across the rocky pavement. He pulled his head back inside and turned to greet the eyes of the other man.

The young man held out his hand, the penny clutched lightly in his fingertips. Dean opened his palm and the coin dropped into it. Heat seared through Dean's hand, but he closed his fingers around the penny and smirked again before turning back to the open window and pushing himself closer to it. The spirit watched him closely, the flames from the fire engulfing him and reaching teasing edges out to brush gently across Dean's face and neck before moving to the exposed arms peaking from beneath the sleeves of the T-shirt he wore.

With the penny clutched tightly in his hand, Dean pulled himself out of the open window, his sights set on the growing bloodstain waiting for him below…

**A/N: Well, what'd you think? Let me know and I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible! Until then!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I've been trying to get this chapter up since yesterday morning and it wouldn't let me post it. However, here's the next installment!**

**Chapter 11**

Sam pulled himself quickly from his dreams upon hearing the almost non-existent click of the shutting door. The trained senses of the hunter ploughed through the young man's still-groggy consciousness and before he realized what he was doing, his eyes sharply searched the room for the source of the sound.

Dana stirred in her sleep, a soft breath escaping from her parted lips. Dean was nowhere to be found and a feeling of suspicion twisted through Sam's gut as he pushed himself to stand on steady legs and move swiftly to the door that barricaded the room.

"Sam?" Came a slow, sleepy voice from the floor.

The young man in question turned back to find Dana blinking foggily at him through sleep-leaden eyes. The suspicion he'd been feeling tugged urgently at his mind and willed him to move. He resisted the pull and forced himself to stand still.

"I didn't mean to wake you." The young hunter replied in the slow-approaching morning light that had just started to seep through the curtains.

"It's okay. What's wrong?" Dana questioned, seeing the apprehensive tension that flooded Sam's body and played viciously with his dimly lit features.

"Dean's gone, and I have a weird feeling about it." The young man admitted. He shivered slightly as fleeting anxiety slid tauntingly through him.

"Do you want me to help look for him?" Dana asked as the situation that had involved Dean earlier that night blew through her jumbled thoughts.

"If you would." Sam said, silently grateful for the offer.

"I will." The young woman finalized.

Sam waited impatiently as Dana climbed to her feet and came to stand next to him at the door. She reached beyond the tall, young Winchester and wrenched the door open to reveal an empty corridor that stretched in either direction.

"Check the bathroom." Dana suggested.

"You check the showers, and be careful." Sam replied before hurrying off in the direction of the bathroom.

Dana made her way toward her own destination, but stopped when she came to the slightly ajar door of room 315. She sniffed the air and caught the ghosting aroma of smoke drifting from the room. With a pounding heart and shaking hands, she shoved the door the rest of the way open and stepped cautiously inside. Her eyes drifted immediately to the back window and she rushed forward.

"Dean!" She shouted as she grabbed the eldest brother by the back of the shirt and yanked him away from the gaping window.

They both fell to the floor with a jolting thud and Dana released a squeak of discomfort when Dean's landing sent an elbow shoving painfully into her stomach.

"What the hell were you doing?" Dana shot as Dean rolled off of her.

"I uh…What's going on?" Dean questioned. His vice was anxiously timid and clearly confused as his unfocused eyes roamed the room.

"Why don't _you_ tell _me_?" Dana snapped, the fear in her voice boiling through the surface.

"I can't…I don't know." Dean groped for answers that were not there and his blank face searched Dana's frightened one.

It was at that moment that Sam burst through the open door, wide-eyed and worried. He rushed to where Dean was sitting on the floor looking shocked and afraid. Sam hit the ground on his knees, the sound of the impact echoing through the small area and making him wince. Sam planted both hands firmly on Dean's shoulders and dipped his eyes to meet his brother's.

Dean searched Sam's face with an expression that the younger man wasn't used to seeing from his older brother. The expression was that of complete helplessness and fear over losing control of the situation. That lack of control haunted Dean's anxious eyes and struck a chord of fear in the youngest Winchester. Sam tightened the grasps that he had on his brother and cast a fearful glance to where Dana was slamming the open window shut, urgency guiding her unsteady hands.

"What the hell's happening to me Sammy?" Dean's words were breathy and forced as the realization of what he'd been about to do finally sliced through his consciousness.

"We'll find out. I promise." Sam replied, well aware of the fact that he had seemed to switch roles with the other.

Dean had always been the one to protect Sam, to tell him that everything was going to be fine. Dean had always been the one to make promises and tell him that things would work out, that they would get to the bottom of whatever was happening. _Dean_ was the protector and Sam was the protected. That's the way it was supposed to be. It's how it had _always_ been. Sam wasn't used to taking on the role that Dean filled so naturally and to be truthful, it scared him a bit. He wasn't used to seeing Dean helpless and needing to grab the hand of another to keep from drowning. _Dean_ was the strong one.

The helpless glimmer still rested in Dean's sharp, hazel eyes and Sam pulled the trembling older man to stand. Dean didn't resist. He allowed his baby brother to pull him up and steady him with a touch that portrayed a deep caring that could only exist in the bond between brothers.

"C'mon." Sam replied to both Dana and Dean and he ushered them out into the hall before reaching to shut the door.

Dean watched the inside of the room as Sam slowly closed it off and he saw the licking of phantom flames dancing hypnotically inside. From within the fire, the young man with the sickly angled neck, smiled and Dean felt a small shock of something or other flood through him. He ignored it and followed Sam and Dana back to the room that they were staying in.

* * *

Dean had been silent since arriving back at the safe haven of their temporary quarters. The older brother stood stiffly in front of the window and watched the lack of action play out on the ground below him. Saturday mornings on a university campus were dead, it was nearly eight thirty and there was still no sign of movement from any student. 

Feeling suddenly smothered, Dean leaned in closer to the window and shoved it open. He stuck his head out and let the soft air of the morning whip through his hair. Frantic hands on his shirt tugged him back and he turned to face the frightened eyes of his little brother. With a sigh Dean shook the hands away and glared.

"Dude, lay off!" Dean snapped and Sam, although slightly taken aback by the sharp comment complied; yet he reached beyond Dean to pull the window shut once again.

Dean reached up and tugged his collar away from his neck. A feeling of pressure forced Dean's breath out in quick gasps past a constricted airway. He sniffed the air and smelled smoke, yet he knew that it wasn't real. He coughed a bit and found himself staggering backwards. Sam reached for him and pulled him upright before searching his brother's face for any sign of an answer as to what might be taking place.

Dean blinked away the stinging in his eyes and pushed gently past Sam and made his way toward the door.

"I'm going out for a while, I need some air." Dean said.

"Wait, I'll come." Sam shot, afraid to leave his brother alone.

Dean sighed, but waited for Sam to pull on his shoes and grab a jacket to defend against the nippy autumn air.

"Leave a note for Dana, she'll be back after breakfast." Dean muttered.

"Right." Sam said and pulled a notebook of paper from the nearest bag. He scribbled a note of messy handwriting and gathered the temporarily assigned keys to both the room and the front door.

A small ball of fun-tac stuck the note to the outside of the locked door and the brothers were off without a glance toward room 315 as they passed it to tramp down the stairs and into the main lobby.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Dean was still stormily silent, even as a soft mist began to fall around the two lone figures walking the streets of Garren. Earlier, the sky had started to dawn cool, but clear, however, dark clouds had soon taken over the cold blue of the horizon. It was a harsh grey that didn't seem willing to let up. The Winchesters pressed on in a tense quiet that electrified the air and sent chills crawling down Sam's back.

"Dean…" Sam started, but Dean held up a hand.

"Don't." Dean replied, trying to stop the session of twenty questions before it managed to get a firm hold in reality.

Sam fell into a reluctant silence and his worried eyes scanned the sidewalk ahead of him. The mist had turned into a steady stream of miniscule droplets that splashed playfully against his skin and rolled in streaks down his cheeks. The jacket that he wore began to slowly soak through and his jeans took on the dark blue tone of wet denim.

Dean took a sharp right into the waterfowl park and his boots crunched against the shifty gravel underfoot. The rain continued to fall and beat against the leaves of trees that bowed over the trail in a haphazard arch. Dean stepped out of the wooded trail and onto the wooden planks of a boardwalk over murky, brown water, muddied by the falling rain.

In the distance, the rooftop of Harden house could be seen in the foggy haze that lingered in the grey air and Dean tore his eyes away from it to focus on the path ahead. He cast his gaze to where Sam was walking quietly, hands shoved in his pockets as the rainwater matted his too-long hair and forced it into his face.

Dean sighed, he knew that he had overreacted, but there was no way he was going to apologize and leave the playing field wide open for a chick-flick moment. Sam had just been trying to help, the kid was worried and Dean understood why. Sam licked the water off of his lips and braved a quick glance over to Dean, who met his eyes and nodded. That was enough for Sam to realize the older man was attempting to reconcile hard feelings. He smiled stiffly and his eyes wandered to where he could see the university campus looming over the waterfowl park.

A bird called through the clouds and Sam's attention turned to it. The rippled water shifted as the bird swooped low to land softly on it, despite the turmoil that the rain was causing. Sam brushed his hair away from his eyes and winced when a small pain stabbed at the back of his head. Dean looked over, not missing the expression and he drew a breath.

"Sam? You okay?" Dean questioned, seeing lines of pain creeping slowly across the younger man's face.

Sam didn't speak and a hand flew to his forehead to press into the skin in an attempt to banish the sharp pain that hovered there. The younger brother's walk staggered and he leaned against the railing of the wooden walkway. Dean was right there beside him, grabbing his arm to keep him from taking an ungraceful dive into the murky water of the marshlands.

"Sammy? You gotta talk to me, man, what's going on?" Dean pleaded, knowing very well what ailment was grabbing Sam and pulling him under.

Sam yelled out as the pain fell across his skull and sent him weakly to his knees, flailing for a handhold to keep from getting grounded. He didn't find one, but Dean's strong grasp guided him gently to the walkway and kept a firm hold on him.

Dean was clearly confused. Sam's visions seemed to only occur with relation to the demon that killed their mother. However, they had been known to happen when another had some type of connection with the thing, or in the case of the last time the visions got so painful, another person, dead or alive with a direct connection to Sam. Until now. From what Dean could tell, this case had nothing to do with the demon that killed their mother, or a connection between Sam and something else. The visions were just…random. To be truthful, it scared Dean quite a bit.

The vision slowly released Sam and the young Winchester sat on his knees panting heavily as he pulled himself back to where the rain splashed coolly against his pain flushed skin. He cast alarmed eyes to Dean and blinked rapidly as though to clear a fog.

"Sammy?" Dean asked.

"I'm fine." Sam said and pushed himself to his feet.

"Let's head back." Dean suggested and led the way back to the campus, as the rain grew increasingly more violent.

* * *

"You're sure?" Dean asked as he watched Sam rub a towel over his soaked hair, sending small droplets of water flying toward the older brother's face. 

"Why would I be having these visions otherwise?" Sam asked, keeping his voice low so that the volume wouldn't be heard out in the halls.

"Coincidence?" Dean suggested.

"_Coincidence_? Dean, coincidences don't happen to us, we're not that lucky." Sam replied.

Dean was quiet as he tried to accept what Sam had just told him.

"So, that spirit in room 315, he's got a connection with the demon?" Dean asked.

"I don't know, maybe. That kid is a fire ghost, Dean and all evidence points to the fact that the thing that killed mom and Jess is a fire demon."

"Okay, but that doesn't explain what the hell Isaac wants with me." Dean shot.

"I already told you. He's going to _use_ you."

Dean was silent as his eager eyes searched Sam's face.

"If we hadn't come here, would this stuff still be happening? Would Greg still have died? What about the shower room?" Dean asked.

"This stuff has happened before when we weren't here, it's been happening ever since Harden was rebuilt after the fire. If we weren't here, it'd very likely still be happening. This place is haunted Dean, it has been since those kids died." Sam replied.

"Well, we're going to change that. Nobody else is going to die here." Dean said, his voice thick and determined.

"But my vision. Dean, you fell." Sam replied.

"Forget about your damn visions for _just_ a moment, Sam. Your visions can be changed, and _we're_ going to change it." Dean shot.

"Dean, I saw that guy die, and I saw you…" Sam's voice trailed as a lump formed in his throat.

"Sam, for the last time, I'm _not_ going to die and I'm _not_ going to push that guy out the window!" Dean snapped, his voice a bit harsher than intended.

"Sammy, look at me." Dean replied, touching Sam's shoulder as the young man turned away.

Sam turned green eyes back to lock with his brother's gaze.

"We'll stop this." Dean promised and with a fleeting sense of relief, the younger brother realized that he and Dean had once again switched places.

Now Dean was the protector once more and Sam was the protected, but Sam wasn't sure how long that would last, not with his last vision and the possibilities that it had opened looming threateningly over him. Sam sighed and turned his eyes away from Dean's probing stare before pushing himself to his feet and moving to stand in front of the window of the third floor room they were staying in. He ran a hand through his dark hair, still damp from the rain and watched the rain clouds continue to build outside.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The sharp clicking of the laptop keyboard screamed in the room like rain on a tin roof. Dean looked up from his father's journal to pass slightly annoyed eyes at Sam, but the younger brother didn't seem to notice. His movements were guided by adrenaline and worry that shredded every fraction of his being, completely through and through. Sam's anxious gaze scanned back and forth as he quickly read the text on the screen. More clicking, a shiver of movement, shifting the weight of the laptop, a quick glance to where Dean was once again buried in John's journal and then back to the screen without a word.

Dean sighed, and turned to face the window where the open curtain revealed the late afternoon sunlight peeking down on them. The rain had stopped shortly after the brothers had returned to Harden and it left behind a cool breeze and the vibrant light of the sun blazing through the clouds to touch every corner of the campus. He shoved his hand into the bag next to him and pulled out a handful of peanut M&Ms. He shoved the candy into his mouth one by one before once again concentrating on the journal open on his lap. There was nothing about what they were fighting, not even the ghost of a clue or a passing mention; it was like it didn't exist. He pushed his fingers into the back pockets, searching for _anything_ that would help and his touch brushed past a piece of paper. He pulled it out and gently unfolded it to keep it from tearing.

His eyes scanned the writing before he rolled his eyes and shoved the paper back into its resting-place, noting that it was completely useless. He continued to flip through the pages, only half paying attention, having scanned them several times already without finding anything worth paying a second glance to. He shut the book and leaned his head back so it rested against the cool wall behind him. A sigh brushed across his lips before he sprung himself from the bed and wandered to the window.

Immediately, Sam, set the laptop aside and locked a firm gaze on Dean's back. The older brother leaned his hands against the window ledge and his eyes roamed over the campus. The place was slightly more alive than it had been earlier that morning. At least now there were students walking in groups over the browning grass, or loitering under trees that blocked out some of the setting sun. Dean ran a hand over his face and pushed himself away from the window. His eyes scanned the room and rested on the empty mattress on the floor.

"Where's Dana?" Dean questioned.

"She's away for the night, staying at another house with one of her friends. This stuff is kind of freaking her out." Sam said as though it answered all of the questions that Dean had flaring in his mind.

"So she won't be back tonight." Dean stated.

"I just told you that." Sam replied, casting suspicious eyes over Dean.

"I know, I was just making sure."

Sam smiled stiffly, not quite certain how to respond and pulled the laptop back onto his knees to continue scrolling. With a sigh, Dean threw himself on the bed again and grabbed the journal from his side, but he didn't open it. Instead, he looked up to face Sam on the other side of the room.

"Find anything?" Dean asked casually.

"Um, kinda. I e-mailed a couple of dad's contacts and got a Latin chant thing in return. Apparently, it'll cleanse the room and send the spirit away." Sam replied.

"That's good, at least we still have _some_ control over this thing." Dean said, his spirits rising just a little.

"Maybe."

"What do you mean, _maybe_?"

"In order for this chant to work, the spirit has to show itself, complete with the fireworks and everything. It's basically got to take control over the room and the people inside."

"So ghost boy's gotta pull his whole fire-starter act and _we_ have to be trapped in the middle of it?" Dean asked.

"That's about the size of it, yeah."

"Damn, we've got to remember to pick up some aloe-vera gel, cause we're sure as hell gonna need it." Dean muttered.

Sam couldn't help, but let a smile slip across his face before grabbing some paper and scribbling the chant down with the pen lying on the bed next to him.

* * *

Night sliced through the setting sun like a dagger, cold and sharp and both brothers suspected that it would be long as well, especially with the danger of Sam's vision settling thickly over the Winchesters. This had to be stopped. 

Sam tugged himself from the state of dreamland limbo that he was lightly trapped in and looked up in time to see Dean shutting the door quietly behind him as he prowled out into the hall. Sam shot to sit and then shoved himself out of bed. He hurried to the door and yanked it open. Dean's form was moving slowly and silently down the hall toward room 315.

Sam cursed under his breath as his vision flashed through his mind, reminding him of the danger that was waiting in that room. He swiftly followed his big brother to the haunted room. Commotion in the hallway sped up Sam's approach, and he saw Dean grab a young man with blonde hair by either arm and yank him into room 315 with him. Dread filled Sam's stomach as he heard the door shut, blocking Sam off from his brother and the helpless victim.

Sam ran the rest of the way and a startled yelp from inside caused him to barge through the closed door in time to see Dean pulling the young man toward the glittering window at the end of the room. Dean's face was menacingly blank and Sam knew that Isaac had control over the oldest Winchester.

The room around him erupted in roaring flames and he stumbled back as the fire slyly approached him. His eyes darted to the window where Dean was tossing the curtain back and throwing the glass pane open so the icy night lashed in at them. Sam rushed forward to prevent his brother from becoming a murderer _and_ a victim of the spirit, but a sudden shimmer in the flames stopped him in his tracks. From the dancing fire emerged Isaac, neck twisted and lips pulled back in a growling smile that housed the sense of pure anger.

Sam swallowed the lump in his throat and backed away more as the flames began licking at his exposed skin and singeing the top layer. The young Winchester grimaced, but pushed himself to step back toward the spirit. Isaac didn't move, he blocked the way to Dean and the other man, eyes locked solely on Sam, yet he was still in control of Dean.

Sam drew a breath, attempting to visualize the chant he'd memorized earlier in the evening. His mind kept coming up blank and his eyes became watery and heavy as the smoke invaded them. He could feel the flames burning away at him and he felt the hot breath of the spirit scatter across his face like a million tiny bugs going in all directions.

"Why did you do it?" Isaac smirked, holding up a copper penny to glint in the dancing fire.

"I didn't!" Sam replied sharply, but Isaac only laughed.

"Yes you did." Isaac grabbed Sam's hand and the penny was shoved into his open palm. A blinding heat sliced through every nerve ending in his body. Sam hit the floor on his knees, trying to tug his hand away from the angry spirit, but found that he couldn't.

The door to the hallway slammed shut and Sam's attention crept to it in a fleeting glance as a coin dropped outside of it. Sam knew then that the door was locked in the same manner that had killed Isaac and the other students in the past. The young man's spirit still had a twisted smile resting on his heat-parched lips and a maniac glint shimmered in his eyes.

"There's only one way out." The spirit called to Dean.

"I know! Down!" The oldest brother shouted back and shoved the young man he was holding out the window.

Sam yelled out in horror and it seemed to break through Dean's haze, yet the angry mask immediately slipped back over the hardened face of the Winchester on the receiving end of the shout. Now, more than ever, Sam needed to remember that chant! He concentrated, trying to sort through his racing thoughts and forget about the man that had just been shoved out the window in order to find what he was searching for.

The words began to flicker at the very edge of his mind and he reached for them, trying to grasp them and speak them. He recalled the first few sounds and uttered them in a harsh whisper before his mind blanked again.

Isaac's face twisted into a look of sick amusement and confusion over what this man was trying to do. He locked his gaze into the sharp green of the boy on his knees and grinned wider. The young man at his mercy cringed a bit as he pressed the coin deeper into the palm. He could feel the flames around him burning. The heat from them sliced through him, but it didn't hurt. It was almost energizing and with every flicker of flame, he felt his strength grow and he felt the fight of the oldest brother wearing off as he began to slowly take a deeper control.

"Dean, fight it!" Sam shouted and Isaac landed a hard backhand to the younger man's face to shut him up.

The youngest Winchester yelled out as the heat from the spirit's hand took over his cheek. He winced and drew back, his eyes nearly shut in pain. Sam still grasped for the words and finally snagged them. Almost immediately he started the chant over again, at first it was a whisper and it gradually grew to near shouting.

Isaac drew back, feeling the life of the fire leaving him. He couldn't control the flames any longer and they got away from him, consuming the room and stretching into the halls. The fire alarms of Harden screamed to alert the students and order them to start evacuation.

A painful hacking that came from the depths of his chest as the smoke began to slowly flood his body was interrupting Sam's words. His limbs began to feel heavy, but even through the breathy coughs, he continued the chant. Isaac was slowly losing control and Sam could feel it.

Another series of flashes passed through Sam's mind. He sensed pure evil lurking in the flames, watching the scene play out and concentrating on the actions of the Winchesters. More flashes, Sam saw his mother's death above his crib and he saw Jess, stuck to the ceiling above him back at Stanford. Overpowering evil sliced through the building flames, but it didn't touch the brothers. It was waiting for all three Winchesters to be together. It wasn't time yet. The coin blocking the latch dropped to the hallway floor, the brothers had to have an escape route because _it_ wanted to finish them, all three of them, off on its own and no fire ghost was going to take that privilege away…

Sam's eyes darted to where a dark shape watched from the flames, two eyes burning in its head. He blinked and the figure was gone, vanishing into the smoke and fire that was slowly taking over Harden hall. A coin dropped outside the door again, and the hinges creaked open, offering an alternate way out. With the darkened shape, the thick evil dwindled away, until only the rage of Isaac was left in the room. The young man with the twisted neck was flickering in and out of focus, but beyond Isaac, Sam still saw Dean, leaning out the window and he could hear the panicked words of his older brother seep through the cracking flames.

"Only one way out. One way out." Dean spoke.

"And which way would that be?" Isaac's voice was nearly melted away, but it still reached Dean's ears.

"Down." The oldest brother replied and with overwhelming horror, Sam saw Dean vanish from the window ledge as the flames flickered tauntingly around him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"Dean!" Sam's voice flew through the devouring flames to greet the empty window ledge.

The chant had done what it had been meant to do; the fire spirit had flickered from existence once and for all, yet the flames still chewed through Harden. He could hear yelling and footsteps rushing by outside the door and heard screams from the ground. The screams were those of fear and shock and Sam's heart froze in his chest. His breath caught around the smoke and, still coughing, he stumbled to his feet and ran to the window, afraid of what he might see.

The fire roared behind him, but he didn't care, his gaze was focused on the ground where people were gathering around the bottom of the building and looking up in horror. There was a struggling breath from below him and he looked down to see Dean holding the ledge with a single hand, while the other grasped thin air for the man he had pushed.

The blonde was struggling to reach for Dean's hand from where his fingertips were shoved into a wide crack in Harden's outside wall. Finally the young man made contact with Dean and grabbed on, the fingers of his other hand slipping from the crack. Dean was yanked down a bit, but somehow managed to keep a hold on the ledge. However, the older brother's hand was slipping quickly; it slid across the cement of the ledge, the fingers groping for a firm handhold.

"I've got ya!" Dean yelled to the panicked man he was holding. The young man's bright grey eyes pleaded desperately with the older brother.

"Hold on!" Dean shouted as his grip slipped a bit. The young man Dean was holding yelled out and a couple of screams echoed from the ground below.

"Dean!" Sam yelled again and reached to grasp his brother's quickly slipping hand.

The action jerked Sam toward the window and both Dean and the male student yelped. Sam's shoulder felt like it was being pulled from its socket as he grabbed with the other hand as well. Now, all his strength was going into keeping Dean and the young man from plunging to the waiting ground below. Pained tears welled in Sam's eyes and he grimaced at his slipping hold.

The sirens of fire engines droned in the distance, coming toward the billowing smoke in the air, but Sam's attention didn't waver from his brother, even as the trucks pulled in and a flood of fire workers spilled from them with hoses in hand. Sam tried desperately to pull his brother back to safety, but his arms refused to let him do so. His muscles burned with the exhausting effort that it was taking just to hold on, let alone pull up. The weakening grasp slipped a bit more and Dean's wide eyes locked with Sam's frightened ones.

"Don't you drop me, Sammy!" Dean shouted, his voice was afraid and anxious.

Sam didn't answer. He was struggling to keep a firm grasp on his brother, while ignoring the flames biting into him. The youngest brother pulled up a bit, it was weak, but it was progress. He clenched his teeth as he continued to hold onto the extra weight and not slip any further.

The door to the room slammed open and a man rushed through the flames to where the young man was holding onto the other men. Even from a distance, the fire worker could see the dark haired boy struggling and he could hear the groans of effort to keep the other two from falling. He reached out the window and grabbed onto the hand of the struggling man. The man next to him shuddered a bit as some weight was taken and he sagged.

"Don't let go!" The firefighter yelled to him. Almost immediately, Sam regained the failing grasp he had and helped to pull Dean and the other man to safety.

Sam slumped to the floor as soon as the second boy was through the window and Dean grabbed him around the waist to haul him to his feet. Sam coughed as the smoke continued to assault him.

"C'mon!" The firefighter yelled.

"Let's go, Sammy." Dean said and helped his brother out the door to 315 as the fire worker and the blonde followed close behind.

All three staggered from the fire, the worker following close behind and Dean pulled Sam away from the flames that were devouring Harden house. The Winchesters watched as the flames slowly died away, leaving Harden undamaged. A flurry of excitement rippled through the gathered crowd and the fire workers stared at the building in disbelief. There _had_ been a fire, _hadn't_ there?

As workers rushed in to scan the halls, students watched in disbelief at the lack of damage done to the house. About ten minutes later, those that had gone in came out with confused looks on their faces.

"It's all clear, there's no damage." One of the men replied.

"It's like the fire was never really there." Another replied.

"Maybe it wasn't." Came a whisper from next to Dean. The older brother looked to see Sam watching the residence with anxious eyes holding shadows of question.

Dean's eyes continued to search Sam's face. The younger brother looked like he was going to say more. Sam saw the curiosity on Dean's face and drew a breath of the fresh, night air.

"I saw it, Dean." Sam replied, pulling Dean out of the earshot of the large, gathered group.

"The demon? So it _did_ have something to do with what happened?" Dean asked.

"No, it was just there, watching. It opened the door so we could get out." Sam replied.

"Why the hell didn't it just kill us? Isn't that what it wants?" Dean questioned.

"It's waiting, Dean."

"Waiting for what?"

"I don't know." Sam spoke and then fell silent.

Dean's eyes wandered back to the open window of room 315 and nothing but darkness greeted him. He swallowed and then turned back to Sam, without speaking. The night around them was dense with an eerie thickess that grew from Sam's words and settled in the pits of their stomachs.

"We'll find out, eventually and when we do, we'll be ready. Until then, we just keep doing what we've been doing, saving people and hunting things." Dean replied.

Sam nodded and followed Dean back to the flashing lights of the fire engines and the gathered people with confused faces.

* * *

Sam placed his laptop, along with his duffel bag into the back seat of the Impala and his eyes scanned the campus that was lit by the arrival of daylight. After a few hours of checking and rechecking, students were allowed to go back into Harden and the night had passed slowly as Sam and Dean watched the dark ceiling above them.

When morning began to peek through the curtains, both had hurried from bed, taken showers and packed the car up again. Now they were going on their way. Dean watched his flushed reflection in the glass of the window and sighed. The red had become more pronounced after the last bout with the fire ghost and now it was a deep set flush covering his entire face and splotching the rest of his body. Sam hadn't fared much better, he looked much the same as his big brother. However, there was a scarlet red circle in the younger man's palm where the penny had been forced against the skin, and a deeper red on his cheek showed where Isaac had backhanded him.

"So, I'm presuming, you're not going to be attending school here, what with all that's happened and stuff, huh?" Came Dana's voice from the sidewalk.

"Um, no, we're going to take some time and look into other campuses." Dean replied.

"I figured as much. So the whole fire thing, is it over?" Dana asked.

"I think so." Sam replied with another glance back to where Harden stood. The large residence looked oddly innocent in the sunlight.

Dana nodded and smiled a bit.

"So, I'll see you around?" She asked.

"I don't think we'll be coming back this way." Dean admitted.

"The world works in mysterious ways, we might meet up again." Dana replied.

"We'll find out." Dean said and ducked into the car. Sam followed suit and shut the door behind him.

"You might want to stop at the drug store and get something for those burns, I'd hate for them to scar." Dana said simply.

"So would I." Dean replied, his face shadowing over. He cast another look at his reflection in the mirror, sighed and started the car before pulling away from Harden.

In the passenger seat, a soft chuckle escaped Sam's lips as the amusement of the words fell upon him. Dean cast a suspicious look to his little brother, who shook his head and pointed to the drugstore that sat next to the road ahead of them. Dean immediately pulled into the parking lot and Sam continued to smile at his brother's eager behaviour.

**THE END!**

**A/N: Well, that's it for this story, what'd you all think? Let me know! Until next time!**


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